^^^m,'^^^' 


Section 


.tP  231922 


NORSE 


OB, 


THE  RELIGION  OF  OUR  FOREFATHERS, 


CONTAINING    ALL    THE 


MYTHS  OF  THE  EDDAS, 


SYSTEMATIZED  AND  INTEEPEETED. 


AN  INTRODUCTION,  VOCABULARY  AND  INDEX. 


By  E.  B.  ANDERSON,  A.M., 

PROFESSOR  OF  THE   SCANDINAVIAN  LANGUAGES   IN  THE  UNIVERSITY   OP 

■WISCONSIN,    AUTHOR    OP    "AMERICA    NOT    DISCOVERED   BY 

COLUMBUS,"    "den    NORSKE  MAALSAG,"    ETC. 


CHICAGO: 

S.  C.  GKIGGS  AND  COMPANY. 

LONDON.    TRUBNER  &  CO. 

1875. 


COPTKIGHT      1875. 

By  8.  C,  GRIGGS  AND  COMPANY. 


I     KMIGHT    St   LEONARD  .  I 


ELECTROTYPED  BY    A.  ZEESE  <tl  CO. 


TO 

HENRY  WADSWORTH  LONGFELLOW, 

THE  AMERICAN  POET, 

WHO    HAS   NOT    ONLY    REFRESHED    HIMSELF  AT    THE    CASTALIAN    FOUNTAIN,   BUT 

ALSO  COMMUNED  WITH    BRAGE,  AND  TAKEN    DEEP   DRAUGHTS 

FROM    THE  WELLS    OF    URD    AND    MIMER, 

THIS    VOLUME    IS    DEDICATED, 

WITH  THE  GRATEFUl.  REVERENCE  OF 

THE  AUTHOR. 


I  think  Scandinavian  Paganism,  to  us  here,  is  more  interesting  than  any 
other.  It  is,  for  one  thing,  the  latest ;  it  continued  in  these  regions  of 
Europe  till  the  eleventh  century  :  eight  hundred  years  ago  the  Norwegians 
were  still  worshipers  of  Odin.  It  is  interesting  also  as  the  creed  of  our 
fathers  ;  the  men  whose  blood  still  runs  in  our  veins,  whom  doubtless  we 
still  resemble  in  so  many  ways.  Strange  :  they  did  believe  that,  while  we 
believe  so  differently.  Let  us  look  a  little  at  this  poor  Norse  creed,  for 
many  reasons.  We  have  tolerable  means  to  do  it ;  for  there  is  another 
point  of  interest  in  these  Scandinavian  mythologies  :  that  they  have  been 
preserved  so  well. 

Neither  is  there  no  use  in  knowing  something  about  this  old  Paganism 

of  our  fathers.    Unconsciously,  and  combined  with  higher  things,  it  is  in  us 

yet,  that  old  faith  withal.    To  know  it  consciously  brings  us  into  closer  and 

clearer  relations  with  the  past, —  with  our  own  possessions  in  the  past.    For 

the  whole  past,  as  I  keep  repeating,  is  the  possession  of  the  present.     The 

past  had  always  something  true,  and  is  a  precious  possession.    In  a  different 

time,  in  a  different  place,  it  is  always  some  other  side  of  our  common  human 

nature  that  has  been  developing  itself. 

—  Thomas  Carlyle. 


PREFACE. 


AMERICA  Not  Discovered  by  Columbus  having 
-^-^  been  so  favorably  received  by  the  press  gener- 
ally, as  well  as  by  many  distinguished  scholars,  who 
have  expressed  themselves  in  very  flattering  terms  of 
our  recent  debut  in  English,  we  venture  to  appear 
again;  and,  although  the  subject  is  somewhat  differ- 
ent, it  still  (as  did  the  first)  has  its  fountain  head 
in    the  literature  of  the  North. 

We  come,  this  time,  encouraged  by  all  your  kind 
words,  with  higher  aspirations,  and  perhaps,  too,  with 
less  timidity  and  modesty.  We  come  to  ask  your 
opinion  of  Norse  mythology.  We  come  to  ask  whether 
Norse  mythology  is  not  equally  as  worthy  of  your 
attention  as  the  Greek.  Nay,  we  come  to  ask  whether 
you  will  not  give  the  Norse  the  preference.  We  pro- 
pose to  call  your  attention  earnestly,  in  this  volume, 
to  the  merits  of  our  common  Gothic  or  Teutonic 
inheritance,  and  to  chat  a  few  hours  with  you  about 
the  imaginative,  poetic  and  prophetic  period  of  our 
Gothic  history. 

We  are  well  aware  that  we  are  here  giving  you 
a  book  full  of  imperfections  so  far  as  style,  origi- 
nality,   arrangement    and    external    adornment    of   the 

(7) 


8  PREFACE. 

subject  is  concerned,  and  we  shall  not  take  it  much 
to  heart,  even  if  we  are  severely  criticised  in  these 
respects;  we  shall  rather  take  it  as  an  earnest  admo- 
nition to  study  and  improve  in  language  and  com- 
position  for   the   future. 

But,  if  the  spirit  of  the  book,  that  is,  the  cause 
which  we  have  undertaken  to  plead  therein, —  if  that 
be  frowned  down,  or  rejected,  or  laughed  at,  we  shall 
be  the  recipient  of  a  most  bitter  disappointment,  and 
yet  we  shall  not  wholly  despair.  The  time  must 
come,  when  our  common  Gothic  inheritance  will  be 
loved  and  respected.  There  will  come  men  —  ay, 
there  are  already  men  in  our  midst  who  will  advo- 
cate and  defend  its  rights  on  American  soil  with 
sharper  steel  than  ours.  And,  though  we  may  find 
but  few  roses  and  many  thorns  on  our  pathway,  we 
shall  not  suffer  our  ardor  in  our  chosen  field  of 
labor  to  be  diminished.  We  are  determined  not  to 
be  discouraged. 

What  we  claim  for  this  work  is,  that  it  is 
the  first  complete  and  systematic  presentation  of  the 
Norse  mythology  in  the  English  language;  and  this 
we  think  is  a  sufficient  reason  for  our  asking  a 
humble  place  upon  your  book-shelves.  And,  while  we 
make  this  claim,  we  fully  appreciate  the  value  of  the 
many  excellent  treatises  and  translations  that  have 
appeared  on  this  subject  in  England.  We  do  not 
undervalue  the  labors  of  Dasent,  Thorpe,  Pigott,  Car- 
lyle,   etc.,   but    none    of    these    give    a    comprehensive 


PKEFACE.  9 

account  of  all  the  deities  and  the  myths  in  full. 
There  is,  indeed,  no  work  outside  of  Scandinavia 
that  covers  the  whole  ground.  So  far  as  America  is 
concerned,  the  only  work  on  Norse  mythology  that 
has  hitherto  been  published  in  this  country  is  Bar- 
clay Pen"xock's  translation  of  the  Norse  Professor 
Kudolph  Keyser's  Religion  of  the  Northmen.  This  is 
indeed  an  excellent  and  scholarly  work,  and  a  valu- 
able contribution  to  knowledge ;  but,  instead  of  pre- 
senting the  mythology  of  the  Norsemen,  it  interprets 
it;  and  Professor  Keyser  is  yet  one  of  the  most 
eminent  authorities  in  the  exposition  of  the  Asa  doc- 
trine. Pennock's  translation  of  Keyser  is  a  book  of 
three  hundred  and  forty-six  pages,  and  of  these  only 
sixteen  are  devoted  to  a  synopsis  of  the  mythology; 
and  it  is,  as  the  reader  may  judge,  nothing  but  a 
very  brief  synopsis.  The  remaining  three  hundred 
and  thirty  pages  contain  a  history  of  Old  Norse  lit- 
erature, an  interpretation  of  the  Odinic  religion,  and 
an  exhibition  of  the  manner  of  worship  among  the 
heathen  Norsemen.  In  a  word,  Pennock's  book  pre- 
supposes a  knowledge  of  the  subject;  and  for  one 
who  has  this,  we  would  recommend  PennocTc's  Key- 
ser as  the  best  work  extant  in  English.  We  are 
indebted  to  it  for  many  valuable  paragraphs  in  this 
volume.  • 

This  subject  has,  then,  been  investigated  by  many 
able  writers;  and,  in  preparing  this  volume,  we  have 
borrowed    from   their   works    all    t*he    light    they   could 


10  PKEFACE. 

slied  upon  our  pathway.  The  authors  we  have  chiefly- 
consulted  are  named  in  the  accompanying  list  While 
we  have  used  their  very  phrase  whenever  it  was  con- 
venient, we  have  not  followed  them  in  a  slavish 
manner.  We  have  made  such  changes  as  in  our 
judgment  seemed  necessary  to  give  our  work  harmony 
and  symmetry  throughout.  We  at  first  felt  disposed 
to  give  the  reader  a  mere  translation  either  of  N. 
M.  Petersen,  or  of  Grundtvig,  or  of  P.  A.  Munch; 
but  upon  further  reflection  we  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  we  could  treat  the  subject  more  satisfac- 
torily to  ourselves,  and  fully  as  acceptably  to  our 
readers,  by  sketching  out  a  plan  of  our  own,  and 
making  free  use  of  all  the  best  writers  upon  this 
subject.  And  as  we  now  review  our  pages,  we  find 
that  N.  M.  Petersen  has  served  us  the  most.  Much 
of  his  work  has  been  appropriated  in  an  almost 
unchanged   form. 

Although  many  of  the  ideas  set  forth  in  this 
work  may  seem  new  to  American  readers,  yet  they 
are  by  no  means  wholly  original.  Many  of  them 
have  for  many  years  been  successfully  advocated  in 
Scandinavian  countries,  and  to  some  extent,  also,  in 
Germany  and  England.  Our  aim  has  not  at  present 
been  so  much  to  make  original  investigations,  as  — 
that  which  is  far  more  needed  and  to  the  purpose  — 
to  give  the  fruits  of  the  labors  performed  in  the 
North,  and  call  the  attention  of  the  American  pub- 
lic earnestly  to  the  wealth  stored  up  in  the  Eddas 
and    Sas^as  of    Iceland.      No   one   can    doubt   the   cor- 


PREFACE.  11 

rectuess  of  our  position  in  this  matter,  when  he 
reflects  that  we  are  now  drawing  near  the  close  of 
the  nineteenth  century,  and  have  not  yet  had  a  com- 
plete Norse  mythology  in  the  English  language,  while 
the  number  of  Greek  and  Eoman  mythologies  is 
legion.  Bayard  Taylor  said  to  us,  recently,  that  the 
Scandinavian  languages,  in  view  of  their  rich  litera- 
ture, in  view  of  the  light  which  this  literature  throws 
upon  early  English  history,  and  in  view  of  the  im- 
portance of  Icelandic  in  a  successful  study  of  English 
and  Anglo-Saxon,  ought  to  be  taught  in  every  col- 
lege in  Viuland;  and  that  is  the  very  pith  of  what 
we  have  to   say  in   this  preface. 

We  have  had  excellent  aid  from  Dr.  S.  H.  Car- 
penter, who  combines  broad  general  culture  with  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  Old  English  and  Anglo-Saxon. 
He  has  read  every  page  of  this  work,  and  we  hereby 
thank  him  for  the  generous  sympathy  and  advice 
which  he  has  invariably  given  us.  To  President 
John  Bascora  we  are  under  obligations  for  kind  words 
and  valuable  suggestions.  We  hereby  extend  heartfelt 
thanks  to  Professor  Willard  Fiske,  of  Cornell  Uni- 
versity, for  aid  and  encouragement;  to  Mrs.  Ole  Bull, 
for  free  use  of  her  excellent  library;  and  to  the 
poet,  H.  W.  Longfellow,  for  permitting  us  to  make 
extracts  from  his  works,  and  to  inscribe  this  volume 
to  him  as  the  Nestor  among  American  writers  on 
Scandinavian  themes.  May  the  persons  here  named 
find    that    this    our   work,   in    spite    of   its   faults,   ad- 


12  PREFACE. 

vances,  somewhat,  the  interest  in  the  studies  of  North- 
ern  literature   in   this   country. 

While  Mallet's  Northern  Antiquities  is  a  very 
valuable  work,  we  cannot  but  make  known  our 
regrets  that  Blackwell's  edition  of  it  ever  was  pub- 
lished. Mr.  Blackwell  has  in  many  ways  injured  the 
cause  which  he  evidently  intended  to  promote.  While 
we,  therefore,  urge  caution  in  the  use  of  Mallet's 
Northern  Antiquities  by  Blackwell,  we  can  with  all 
our  heart  recommend  such  writers  upon  the  North 
as  Dasent,  Laing,  Thorpe,  Gosse,  Pennock,  Boyesen, 
Marsh,  Fiske,  the  Howitts,  Pigott,  Lord  Dufferin, 
Maurer,  Mobius,  Morris,  Magniisson,  Vigfusson,  Hjal- 
talin,   and   several   others. 

It  is  sincerely  hoped  that  by  this  our  effort  we 
may,  at  least  for  the  present,  fill  a  gap  in  English 
literature,  and  accomplish  something  in  awakening 
among  students  some  interest  in  Norse  mythology,' 
history,  literature  and  institutions.  Let  it  be  remem- 
bered, that  Carlyle,  and  many  others  of  our  best 
scholars,  claim  that  it  is  from  the  Norsemen  we  have 
derived  our  vital  energy,  our  freedom  of  thought, 
and,  in  a  measure  that  we  do  not  yet  suspect,  our 
strength   of  speech. 

We  are  conscious  that  our  work  contains  many 
imperfections,  and  that  others  might  have  performed 
the  task  better;  and  thus  we  commend  this  volume 
to   the   kind   indulgence   of  the   critic   and   the   reader. 

R.   B.  ANDERSON. 
University  of  Wisconsin,  May  15,  1875. 


LIST  OF  WORKS  CONSULTED. 


The  followiug  authors  have  been  consulted  in 
preparing  this  work,  and  to  them  the  reader  is 
referred,  if  he  wishes  to  make  special  study  of  the 
subject  of   Norse  mythology. 

Of  the  Elder  Edda  we  have  used  Benjamin  Thorpe's 
translation  and  Sophus  Bugge's  edition  of  the  original. 
It  has  been  found  necessary  to  make  a  few  altera- 
tions in  Thorpe's  translation.  Of  the  Younger  Edda 
we  have  used  Dasent's  translation  and  Sveinbjorn 
Egilsson's  edition  of  the  original.  Of  modern  Scan- 
dinavian writers  we  have  confined  ourselves  mainly 
to  N.  M.  Petersen,  N.  F.  S.  Grundtvig,  P.  A.  Munch, 
Kudolph  Keyser,  Finn  Magniisson,  and  Christian  Win- 
ther.  Other  authors  borrowed  from  more  or  less  are : 
H.  W.  Longfellow,  H.  GT.  Moller,  E.  Nyerup,  E.  G. 
Geier,  M.  Hammerich,  P.  J.  Mone,  Jacob  Grimm, 
Thomas  Keightly,  Thomas  Oarlyle,  Max  Miiller,  and 
Geo.   W.   Cox. 

The  recent  excellent  work  of  Alexander  Murray 
has  been  referred  to  on  the  subject  of  Greek  mythol- 
ogy. It  claims  on  its  title-page  to  give  an  account 
of  Norse    mythology;    but   we   were   surprised    to   find 

(13) 


14  LIST   OF   WOEKS   CONSULTED. 

that  the  author  dismisses  the  subject  with  fifteen 
pages  and  a  few   wood-cuts  of  questionable  value. 

The  philological  notes  are  chiefly  based  upon  the 
Icelandic  Dictionary  recently  published  by  Macmillan 
&  Co.,  and  edited  by  Gudbrand  Vigfusson,  of  Oxford 
University,  England.  We  object  to  the  price  of  it, 
which  is  thirty-two  dollars,  but  it  is  indeed  a  schol- 
arly work,  and  marks  a  new  epoch  in  the  study  of 
the  Icelandic  language. 

For  the  engraving  opposite  the  title-page  we  are 
indebted  to  Mr.  James  E.  Stuart,  who  has  devoted  many 
years  in  America  and  Europe  to  the  study  of  his  art.  The 
painting,  from  which  the  engraving  is  made,  is  wholly 
original,  and  was  made  expressly  for  this  work.  We 
hereby  extend  our  thanks  to  Mr.  Stuart,  and  hope  some 
day  to  see  more  of  Norse  mythology  treated  by  his  brush. 


TABLE  OF  COj^TE]^TS. 


A  list  of  authors  consulted  in  the  preparation  of  this  work  will 
be  found  on  page  13. 

INTRODUCTION. 

CHAPTER  I. 
WHAT  IS  MYTHOLOGY,  AND  WHAT  IS  NOKSE  MYTHOLOGY? 
The  myth  the  oldest  form  of  truth — The  Unknown  God  —  Inge- 
mund  the  Old  —  Thorkel  Maane  —  Harald  Fairfax  —  Every 
cause  in  nature  a  divinity  —  Thor  in  the  thunder-storm  — 
Prominent  faculties  impersonated  —  These  gods  worthy  of 
reverence — Church  ceremonies — Different  religions — Hints 
to  preachers  —  The  mythology  of  out  ancestors  —  la  its 
oldest  form  it  is  Teutonic  —  What  Dasent  says  —  Thomas 
Carlyle, 23 

CHAPTER  II. 

WHY  CALL  THIS  MYTHOLOGY  NOKSE?   OUGHT  IT  NOT  RATHER  TO 
BE  CALLED  GOTHIC  OR  TEUTONIC? 

Introduction  of  Christianity  —  The  Catholic  priests  —  The  Eddas 
—  Mythology  in  its  Germanic  form  —  Thor  not  the  same  in 
Norway  and  Denmark  —  Norse  mythology  —  Max  Miiller,    -  41 

CHAPTER  III. 

NORSE   MYTHOLOGY   COMPARED   WITH   THE   GREEK. 

Norse  and  Greek  mythology  widely  differ  —  Balder  and  Adonis 
— Greek  gods  free  from  decay — The  Deluge — Not  the  same 
but  a  similar  tradition  —  The  hard  stone  weeps  tears  —  The 
separate  groups  exquisite  —  Greek  mythology  an  epic  poem 

(15) 


16  CONTENTS. 

—  Theoktony  —  The  Norse  yields  the  prize  to  the  Greek  — 
Depth  of  Norse  and  Christian  thought  —  Naastraud  —  Out- 
ward nature  influences  the  mythology  —  Visit  Norseland  — 
Norse  scenery  —  Simple  and  martial  religion — Sincerity  and 
grace — Norse  and  Greek  mythology, 51 

CHAPTER  IV. 

ROMAN    MYTHOLOGY. 

Oxford  and  Cambridge  — The  Romans  were  robbers — We  must 
not  throw  Latin  wholly  overboard — W^e  must  study  English 
and  Anglo-Saxon  —  English  more  terse  than  Latin  —  Greek 
preferable  to  Hebrew  or  Latin  —  Shakespeare  —  He  who  is 
not  a  son  of  Thor, 71 

CHAPTER  V. 

INTERPRETATION   OP   NORSE   MYTHOLOGY. 

Aberration  from  the  true  religion  —  Historical  interpretation  — 
Ethical  interpretation  —  Physical  interpretation  —  Odin, 
Thor,  Argos,  lo  —  Our  ancestors  not  prosaic  —  The  Romans 
again — Physical  interpretation  insufficient — Natural  science 

—  Historical  prophecy  —  A  complete  mythology,    -        -        -80 

CHAPTER  VL 

THE   NORSE    MYTHOLOGY    PURNISHES   ABUNDANT   AND    EXCELLENT 
MATERIAL   FOR  THE   USE   OF   POETS,  SCULPTORS   AND  PAINTERS.  ■ 

How  to  educate  the  child  —  Ole  Bull  —  Men  frequently  act  like 
ants  —  Oelenschlseger  —  Thor's  fishing  —  The  dwarfs  —  Ten 
stanzas  in  Danish  —  The  brush  and  the  chisel  —  Nude  art  — 
The  germ  of  the  faith  —  We  Goths  are  a  chaste  race  —  Dr. 
John  Bascom  —  We  are  growing  too  prosaic  and  ungodly,     -  94 

CHAPTER   Vn. 

THE    SOURCES    OF    NORSE    MYTHOLOGY    AND    INFLUENCE    OF   THE 
ASA-FAITH. 

The  Elder  Edda  —  Icelandic  poetry  —  Beowulf's  Drapa  and 
Niebelungen-Lied — Influence  of  the  Norse  mythology  — 
Influence  of  the  Asa-faith — Samuel  Laing — Odinic  rules  of 
life  —  Havamiil  —  The  lay  of  Sigdrifa  —  Rudolph  Keyser  — 
The  days  of  the  week,     -  116 


; 


CONTENTS.  17 


NOBSE  MYTHOLOGY. 
PART  I. 

THE   CKEATION    AND    PRESERVATION   OF   THE   WORLD. 

CHAPTER  I. 
THE   CREATION. 

Section!.  The  original  condition  of  the  world  —  Ginungagap. 
Section  ii.  The  origin  of  the  giants  —  Ymer.  Section  iii. 
The  origin  of  the  cow  Audhumbla  and  the  birth  of  the 
gods — Odin,  Vile  and  Ve.  Section  iv.  The  Norse  deluge  and 
the  origin  of  heaven  and  earth.  Section  v.  The  heavenly 
bodies,  time,  the  wind,  the  rainbow — The  sun  and  moon — 
Hrimfaxe  and  Skinfaxe — The  seasons  —  The  Elder  Edda  — 
Bil  and  Hjuke.  Section  vi.  The  Golden  Age  —  The  origin 
of  the  dwarfs — The  creation  of  the  first  man  and  woman — 
The  Elder  Edda.  Section  vii.  The  gods  and  their  abodes. 
Section  viii.  The  divisions  of  the  world,        .        .        .        .  171 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE    PRESERVATION. 

The  ash  Ygdrasil  —  Mimer's  fountain  —  Urd's  fountain  —  The 
norns  or  fates  —  Mimer  and  the  Urdar-fountain  —  The 
norns, 188 

CHAPTER  III. 

EXEGETICAL    REMARKS    UPON    THE    CREATION    AND    PRESERVATION 
OP  THE   WORLD. 

Pondus  iners  —  The  supreme  god  —  The  cow  Audhumbla  — 
Trinity  —  The  Golden  Age  —  Creation  of  man  —  The  giants 
— The  gods  kill  or  marry  the  giants — Elves  and  hulders — 
Trolls — Nisses  and  necks — Merman  and  mermaid — Ygdra- 
sil—  Mimer's  fountain  —  The  norns, 193 

3 


IS  CONTENTS. 

PAET  11. 

THE   LIFE   AND    EXPLOITS   OF   THE   GODS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

ODIN. 

Section  i.  Odin.  Section  ii.  Odin's  names.  Section  iii.  Odin's 
outward  appearance.  Section  iv.  Odin's  attributes.  Sec- 
tion V.  Odin's  journeys.  Section  vi.  Odin  and  Mimer. 
Section  vii.  Hlidskjalf.  Section  viii.  The  liistorical  Odin. 
Section  ix.  Odin's  wives.  Section  x.  Frigg's  maid-servants. 
Section  xi.  Gefjun  —  Eir.  Section  xii.  Rind.  Section  xiii. 
Gunlad  —  The  origin  of  poetry.  Section  xiv.  Saga.  Sec- 
tion XV.  Odin  as  the  inventor  of  runes.  Section  xvi.  Val- 
hal.     Section  xvii.  The  valkyries, 215 

CHAPTER  II. 

HEEMOD,  TYR,    HEIMDAL,   BRAGE  AND   IDTJN. 

Section  i.  Hermod.  Section  ii.  Tyr.  Section  iii.  Heimdal.  Sec- 
tion iv.  Brage  and  Idun.     Section  v.  Idun  and  her  apples,      270 

CHAPTER  III. 

BALDER  AND  NANNA,  HODER,  VALE  AND  FORSETE. 

Section  i.  Balder.  Section  ii.  The  death  of  Balder  the  Good. 
Section  iii.  Forsete, 279 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THOR,    HIS  WIFE   SIP   AND   SON   ULLER. 

Section!.  General  synopsis  —  Thor,  Sif  and  Uller.  Section  ii. 
Thor  and  Hrungner.  Section  iii.  Thor  and  Geirrod.  Sec- 
tion iv.  Thor  and  Skr3'mer.  Section  v.  Thor  and  the  Mid- 
gard-serpent  (Thor  and  Hymer).  Section  vi.  Thor  and 
Thrym, 298 

CHAPTER  V. 

VIDAR, 337 


CONTENTS.  19 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   VANS. 
Section  i.  Njord  and  Skade.     Section  ii.  Mger  and  Ran.     Sec- 
tion iii.  Frey.    Section  iv.  Frey  and  Gerd.    Section  v.  Wor- 
ship  of   Frey.     Section  vi.   Freyja.      Section  vii.   A  brief 
review, 341 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

THE  DEVELOPMENT  OP  EVIL,  LOKE  AND  HIS  OFFSPRING. 
Section  i.  Loke.  Section  ii.  Loke's  children  —  The  Fenris- 
wolf.  Section  iii.  Jormungander  or  the  Midgard-serpent. 
Section  iv.  Hel.  Section  v.  The  Norsemen's  idea  of  death. 
Section  vi.  Loke's  punishment.  Section  vii.  The  iron  post. 
Section  viii.  A  brief  review, 371 


PART  III. 

EAGNAROK   AND   REGENERATION. 

CHAPTER  I. 
RAGNAROK, 413 

CHAPTER  II. 

REGENERATION,  ....  428 

Vocabulary, 439 

Index,     463 


IIsTTEODUCTIOISr. 


IT^TRODUOTIOK 


CHAPTER  I. 

WHAT     IS    MYTHOLOGY     AND    WHAT     IS    NOKSE 
MYTHOLOGY  ? 

The  word  mythology  [iJ-vd-oXoyia,  from  pMoi;,  word, 
tale,  fable,  and  X6yo<;,  speech,  discourse,)  is  of  Greek  ori- 
gin, and  our  vernacular  tongue  has  become  so  adulter- 
ated with  Latin  and  Greek  words ;  we  have  studied  Latin 
and  Greek  in  place  of  English,  Anglo-Saxon,  Norse  and 
Gothic  so  long  that  we  are  always  in  a  quandary  (qii'en 
dirai-je  ?),  always  tongue-tied  when  we  attempt  to  speak 
of  something  outside  or  above  the  daily  returning  cares 
of  life.  Our  own  good  old  English  words  have  been 
crowded  out  by  foreign  ones;  this  is  our  besetting  sin. 
But,  as  the  venerable  Professor  George  Stephens  remarks 
in  his  elaborate  work  on  Eunic  Monuments,  we  have 
watered  our  mother  tongue  long  enough  with  bastard 
Latin ;  let  us  now  brace  and  steel  it  with  the  life-water 
of  our  own  sweet  and  soft  and  rich  and  shining  and 
clear-ringing  and  manly  and  world-ranging,  ever-dearest 
English. 

Mythology  is  a  system  of  myths ;  a  collection  of 
popular  legends,  fables,  tales,  or  stories,  relating  to  the 
gods,  heroes,  demons  or  other  beings  whose  names  have 
been  preserved  in  popular  belief.  Such  tales  are  not 
found  in  the  traditions  of  the  ancient  Greeks,  Hindoos 

(23) 


24      THE  MYTH  THE  OLDEST  FORM  OF  TRUTH. 

and  Egyptians,  only,  but  every  nation  has  had  its  sys- 
tem of  mythology;    and  that  of  the  ancient  Norsemen"^, 
is    more    simple,    earnest,    miraculous,    stupendous    and 
divine   than   any   other   mythological   system   of    which 
we  have  record. 

The  myth  is  the  oldest  form  of  truth;  and  mythol- 
ogy is  the  knowledge  which  the  ancients  had  of  the 
Divine.  The  object  of  mythology  is  to  find  God  and 
come  to  him.  Without  a  written  revelation  this  may 
be  done  in  two  ways:  either  by  studying  the  intellect- 
ual, moral  and  physical  nature  of  man,  for  evidence  of 
the  existence  of  God  may  be  found  in  the  proper  study 
of  man ;  or  by  studying  nature  in  the  outward  world 
in  its  general  structure,  adaptations  and  dependencies; 
and  truthfully  it  may  be  said  that  God  manifests  him- 
self in  nature. 

Our  Norse  forefathers  (for  it  is  their  religion  we  are 
to  present  in  this  volume)  had  no  clearly-defined  knowl- 
edge of  any  god  outside  of  themselves  and  nature. 
Like  the  ancient  Greeks,  they  had  only  a  somewhat 
vague  idea  about  a  supreme  God,  whom  the  rhapsodist 
or  skald  in  the  Elder  Edda  (HyndluljoS  43,  44)  dare 
not  name,  and  whom  few,  it  is  said,  ever  look  far 
enough  to  see.    In  the  language  of  the  Elder  Edda: 

Then  one  is  born 

Greater  than  all ; 

He  becomes  strong 

With  the  strengths  of  earth; 

The  mightiest  king 

Men  call  him. 

Fast  knit  in  peace 

"With  all  powers. 

Then  comes  another 
\  Yet  more  mighty  ; 


THE    UNKNOWN    GOD  —  INGEMUND   THE    OLD.  25 

But  him  dare  I  not 
Venture  to  name. 
Few  further  may  look 
Thau  to  where  Odin 
To  meet  the  wolf  goes. 

Odin  goes  to  meet  the  Fenriswolf  in  Eagnarok  (the 
twilight  of  the  gods;  that  is,  the  final  conflict  between 
all  good  and  evil  powers) ;  but  now  let  the  reader  com- 
pare the  above  passage  from  the  Elder  Edda  with  the 
following  passage  from  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles: 

Then  Paul  stood  in  the  midst  of  Mars'  Hill  and  said  :  Ye 
men  of  Athens,  I  perceive  that  in  all  things  ye  are  too  super- 
stitious ;  for  as  I  passed  by  and  beheld  your  devotions,  I  found 
an  altar  with  this  inscription:  TO  THE  UNKNOWN  GOD. 
Whom  therefore  ye  ignorantly  worship,  him  declare  I  unto  you, ' 

It  was  of  this  same  unhnoimi  God  that  one  of  the 
ancient  Greek  poets  had  said,  that  in  him  we  live  and 
move  and  have  our  being.  Thus  did  the  Greeks  find 
Jehovah  in  the  labyrinth  of  their  heathen  deities;  and 
when  we  claim  that  the  Norse  mythology  is  more 
divine  than  any  other  system  of  mythology  known,  we 
mean  by  this  assertion,  that  the  supreme  God  is  men- 
tioned and  referred  to  oftener,  and  stands  out  in  bolder 
relief  in  the  Norseman's  heathen  belief,  than  in  any 
other. 

It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  long  before  Christianity 
was  introduced  or  had  even  been  heard  of  in  Iceland, 
it  is  recorded  that  Ingemund  the  Old,  a  heathen  Norse- 
man, bleeding  and  dying,  prayed  God  to  forgive  Rolleif, 
his  murderer. 

Another  man  of  the  heathen  times,  Thorkel  Maane, 
a  supreme  judge  of  Iceland,  a  man  of  unblemished  life 
and  distinguished  among  the  wisest  magistrates  of  that 
3 


26  THORKEL   MAANE  —  HARALD    FAIRFAX. 

island  during  the  time  of  the  republic,  avowed  that  he 
would  worship  no  other  God  but  him  who  had  created 
the  sun;  and  in  his  dying  hour  he  prayed  the  Father 
of  Light  to  illuminate  his  soul  in  the  darkness  of  death. 
Arngrim  Jonsson  tells  us  that  when  Thorkel  Maane 
had  arrived  at  the  age  of  maturity  and  reflection,  he 
disdained  a  blind  obedience  to  traditionary  custom, 
and  employed  much  of  his  time  in  weighing  the  estab- 
lished tenets  of  his  countrymen  by  the  standard  of 
reason.  He  divested  his  mind  of  all  j)rejudice;  he 
pondered  on  the  sublimity  of  nature,  and  guided  him- 
self by  maxims  founded  on  truth  and  reason.  By  these 
means  he  soon  discovered  not  only  the  fallacy  of  that  faith 
which  governed  his  countrymen,  but  became  a  convert 
to  the  existence  of  a  supreme  power  more  mighty  than 
Thor  or  Odin.  In  l;is  maker  he  acknowledged  his  God, 
and  to  him  alone  directed  his  homage  from  a  conviction 
that  none  other  was  worthy  to  be  honored  and  wor- 
shiped. Oui  perceiving  the  approach  of  death,  this 
pious  and  sensible  man  requested  to  be  conveyed  into 
the  open  air,  in  order  that,  as  he  said,  he  might  in  his 
last  moments  contemplate  the  glories  of  Almighty  God, 
who  has  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth  and  all  that 
in  them  is. 

Harald  Fairfax  (Haarfager),  the  first  sovereign  of  Nor- 
way, the  king  that  united  Norway  under  his  scepter  in 
the  year  872,  is  another  remarkable  example  in  this 
respect.  He  was  accustomed  to  assist  at  the  public 
offerings  made  by  his  people  in  honor  of  their  gods. 
As  no  better  or  more  pure  religion  was  known  in  those 
days,  he  acted  with  prudence  in  not  betraying  either 
contempt  or  disregard  for  the  prevailing  worship  of  the 
country,  lest  his  subjects,  stimulated  by  such  example, 
might  become  indifferent,  not  only  to  their  sacred,  but 


EVERY    CAUSE    IN   NATURE   IS    A    DIVINITY.  27 

also  to  their  political,  duties.  Yet  he  rejected  from  his 
heart  these  profane  ceremonies,  and  believed  in  the 
existence  of  a  more  powerful  god,  whom  he  secretly 
adored.  I  swear,  he  once  said,  never  to  make  my 
oflEerings  to  an  idol,  but  to  that  God  alone  whose  om- 
nipotence has  formed  the  world  and  stamped  man  with 
his  own  image.  It  would  be  an  act  of  folly  in  me  to 
expect  help  from  him  whose  power  and  empire  arises 
from  the  accidental  hollow  of  a  tree  or  the  peculiar 
form  of  a  stone. 

Such  examples  illustrate  how  near  the  educated  and 
reflecting  Norse  heathen  was  in  sympathy  with  Chris- 
tianity, and  also  go  far  toward  proving  that  the  object 
of  mythology  is  to  find  God  and  come  to  him. 

Still  we  must  admit  that  of  this  supreme  God  our 
forefathers  had  only  a  somewhat  vague  conception ;  and 
to  many  of  them  he  was  almost  wholly  unknown. 
Their  god  was  a  natural  human  god,  a  person.  There 
can  be  no  genuine  poetry  without  impersonation,  and  a 
perfect  system  of  mythology  is  a  finished  poem.  My- 
thology is,  in  fact,  religious  truth  expressed  in  poetical 
language.  It  ascribes  all  events  and  phenomena  in  the 
outward  world  to  a  personal  cause.  Each  cause  is  some 
divinity  or  other  —  some  god  or  demon.  In  this  man- 
ner, when  the  ancients  heard  the  echo  from  the  woods 
or  mountains,  they  did  not  think,  as  we  now  do,  that 
the  waves  of  sound  were  reflected,  but  that  there  stood 
a  dwarf,  a  personal  being,  who  repeated  the  words 
spoken  by  themselves.  This  dwarf  had  to  have  a  his- 
tory, a  biography,  and  this  gave  rise  to  a  myth.  To 
our  poetic  ancestors  the  forces  of  nature  were  not  veiled, 
under  scientific  names.  As  Carlyle  truthfully  remarks, 
they  had  not  yet  learned  to  reduce  to  their  fundamental 
elements    and    lecture    learnedly    about    this    beautiful, 


28  THOK   IN   THE   THUNDEK-STORM. 

green,  rock-built,  flowery  earth,  with  its  trees,  mount- 
ains and  many-sounding  waters;  about  the  great  deep 
sea  of  azure  that  swims  over  our  heads,  and  about  the 
various  winds  that  sweep  through  it.  When  they  saw 
the  black  clouds  gathering  and  shutting  out  the  king 
of  day,  and  witnessed  them  pouring  out  rain  and  ice 
and  fire,  and  heard  the  thunder  roll,  tliey  did  not  think, 
as  we  now  do,  of  accumulated  electricity  discharged  from 
the  clouds  to  the  earth,  and  show  in  the  lecture  room 
how  something  like  these  powerful  shafts  of  lightning 
could  be  ground  out  of  glass  or  silk,  but  they  ascribed 
the  phenomenon  to  a  mighty  divinity  —  Thor — who  in 
his  thundei'-chariot  rides  through  the  clouds  and  strikes 
with  his  huge  hammer,  Mjolner.  The  theory  of  our 
forefathers  furnishes  food  for  the  imagination,  for  our 
poetical  nature,  while  the  reflection  of  the  waves  of 
sound  and  the  discharge  of  •  electricity  is  merely  dry 
reasoning  —  mathematics  and  physics.  To  our  ances- 
tors Nature  presented  herself  in  her  naked,  beautiful 
and  awful  majesty;  while  to  us  in  this  age  of  New- 
tons,  Millers,  Oersteds,  Berzeliuses  and  Tyndalls,  she  is 
enwrapped  in  a  multitude  of  profound  scientific  phrases. 
These  phrases  make  us  flatter  ourselves  that  we  have 
fathomed  her  mysteries  and  revealed  her  secret  work- 
ings, while  in  point  of  fact  we  are  as  far  from  the  real 
bottom  as  our  ancestors  were.  But  we  have  robbed 
ourselves  to  a  sad  extent  of  the  poetry  of  nature.  Well 
might  Barry  Cornwall  complain : 

O  ye  delicious  fables!    where  the  wave 
And  the  woods  were  peopled,  aud  the  air,  with  things 

So  lovely!     Why,  ah!    why  has  science  grave 
Scattered  afar  your  sweet  imaginings? 

The  old  Norsemen  said:    The  mischief-maker  Loke 
cuts   for   mere   sport   the   hair  of  the  goddess  Sif,  but 


PKOMINENT   FACULTIES    IMPERSONATED.  29 

the  gods  compel  liiin  to  furnish  her  new  hair.  Loke 
gets  dwarfs  to  forge  for  her  golden  hair,  which  grows 
almost  spontaneously.  We,  their  prosaic  descendants, 
say:  The  heat  (Loke)  scorches  the  grass  (Sif's  hair), 
but  the  same  physical  agent  (heat)  sets  the  forces  of 
nature  to  work  again,  and  new  grass  with  golden 
(that  is  to  say  bright)  color  springs  up  again. 

Thus  our  ancestors  spoke  pf  all  the  workings  of 
nature  as  thougli  they  were  caused  by  personal  agents; 
and  instead  of  saying,  as  we  now  do,  that  winter  fol- 
lows summer,  and  explaining  how  the  annual  revolu- 
tions of  the  earth  produce  the  changes  that  are  called 
seasons  of  the  year,  they  took  a  more  poetical  view  of 
the  phenomenon,  and  said  that  the  blind  god  Hoder 
(winter)  was  instigated  by  Loke  (heat)  to  slay  Balder 
(the  summer  god). 

This  idea  of  personifying  the  visible  workings  of 
nature  was  so  completely  develoj)ed  that  prominent  fac- 
ulties or  attributes  of  the  gods  also  were  subject  to 
impersonation,  Odin,  it  was  said,  had  two  ravens,  Hu- 
gin  and  Munin;  that  is,  reflection  and  memory.  They 
sit  upon  his  shoulders,  and  whisper  into  his  ears. 
Thor's  strength  was  redoubled  whenever  he  girded  him- 
self with  Megiugjarder,  his  belt  of  strength ;  his  steel 
gloves,  with  which  he  wielded  his  hammer,  produced 
the  same  eflect.  Nay,  strength  was  so  eminent  a  char- 
acteristic with  Thor  that  it  even  stands  out  apart  from 
him  as  an  independent  person,  and  is  represented  by 
his  son  Magne  (strength),  who  accompanies  him  on  his 
journeys  against  the  frost-giants. 

In  this  manner  a  series  of  myths  were  formed  and 
combined  into  a  system  which  we  now  call  mythology; 
a  system  which  gave  to  our  fathers  gods  whom  they 
worshiped,  and  in  whom  they  trusted,  and  which  gives 


30  THESE    GODS   WORTHY    OF    REVERENCE. 

to  US  a  mirror  in  which  is  reflected  the  popular  life^ 
the  intellectual  and  moral  characteristics  of  our  ances- 
tors. And  these  gods  were  indeed  worthy  of  reverence ; 
they  were  the  embodiments  of  the  noblest  thoughts  and 
purest  feelings,  but  these  thoughts  and  feelings  could 
not  be  awakened  without  a  personified  image.  As  soon 
as  the  divine  idea  was  born,  it  assumed  a  bodily  form, 
and,  in  order  to  give*  the  mind  a  more  definite  compre- 
hension of  it,  it  was  frequently  drawn  down  from 
heaven  and  sculptured  in  wood  or  stone.  The  object 
was  by  images  to.  make  manifest  unto  the  senses  the 
attributes  of  the  gods,  and  thus  the  more  easily  secure 
the  devotion  of  the  people.  The  heathen  had  to  see 
the  image  of  God,  the  image  of  the  infinite  thought 
embodied  in  the  god,  or  he  would  not  kneel  down  and 
worship.  This  idea  of  wanting  something  concrete, 
something  within  the  reach  of  the  senses,  we  find  deeply 
rooted  in  human  nature.  Man  does  not  want  an  ab- 
stract god,  but  a  personal,  visible  god,  at  least  a  visible 
sign  of  his  presence.  And  we  who  live  in  the  broad 
daylight  of  revealed  religion  and  science  ought  not  to 
be  so  prone  to  blame  our  forefathers  for  paying  divine 
honors  to  images,  statues  and  other  representations  or 
symbols  of  their  gods,  for  the  images  were,  as  the  words 
imply,  not  the  gods  themselves  to  whom  the  heathen 
addressed  his  prayers  and  supplications,  but  merely  the 
symbols  of  these  gods;  and  every  religion,  Christianity 
included,  is  mythical  in  its  development.  The  tendency 
is  to  draw  the  divine  down  to  earth,  in  order  to  rise 
with  it  again  to  heaven.  When  God  suffers  with  us,  it 
becomes  easier  for  us  to  suffer;  when  he  redeems  us, 
our  salvation  becomes  certain.  God  is  in  all  systems 
of  religion  seen,  as  it  were,  through  a  glass  —  never  face 
to  face.     No  one  can  see  Jehovah  and  live. 


CHURCH    CEREMONIES.  31 

Even  as  in  our  present  condition  our  immortal  soul 
cannot  do  without  the  visible  body,  and  cannot  without 
this  reveal  itself  to  its  fellow-beings,  so  our  faith 
requires  a  visible  church,  our  religion  must  assume 
some  form  in  which  it  can  be  apprehended  by  the 
senses.  Our  faith  is  made  stronger  by  the  visible 
church  in  the  same  manner  as  the  mind  gains  knowl- 
edge of  the  things  about  us  by  means  of  the  bodily 
organs.  The  outward  rite  or  external  form  and  cere- 
monial ornament,  which  are  so  conspicuous  in  the 
Roman  and  Greek  Catholic  churches,  for  instance,  serve 
to  awaken,  edify  and  strengthen  the  soul  and  assist  the 
memory  in  recalling  the  religious  truths  and  the  events 
in  the  life  of  Christ  and  of  the  saints  more  vividly  and 
forcibly  to  the  mind;  besides,  pictures  and  images  are 
to  the  unlettered  what  books  are  to  those  educated  in 
the  art  of  reading.  Did  not  Christ  himself  combine 
things  supersensual  with  things  within  the  reach  of  the 
senses?  The  purification  and  sanctification  of  the  soul 
he  combined  with  the  idea  of  cleansing  the  body  in 
the  sacrament  of  baptism.  The  remembrance  of  him 
and  of  his  love,  how  he  gave  his  body  and  blood  for 
the  redemption  of  fallen  man,  he  combined  with  the 
eating  of  bread  and  drinking  of  wine  in  the  sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper.  He  gave  his  religion  an  outward, 
visible  form;  and,  just  as  the  soul  is  mirrored  in  the 
eyes,  in  the  expression  of  the  countenance,  in  the  gest- 
ures and  manners  of  the  body,  so  our  faith  is  reflected 
in  the  church.  This  is  what  is  meant  by  myth- 
ical development;  and  when  we  discover  this  tendency 
to  cling  to  visible  signs  and  ceremonies  manifesting 
itself  so  extensively  even  in  the  Christian  church  of 
our  own  time,  it  should  teach  us  to  be  less  severe  in 
judging  and  blaming  the  heathen  for  their  idol-worship. 


32  DIFFERENT   RELIGIONS. 

As  long  as  the  nations  have  inhabited  the  earth, 
there  have  been  different  rehgions  among  men;  and 
how  could  this  be  otherwise?  The  countries  which 
they  have  inhabited;  the  skies  which  they  have  looked 
upon ;  their  laws,  customs  and  social  institutions ;  their 
habits,  language  and  knowledge ;  have  differed  so  widely 
that  it  would  be  absurd  to  look  for  uniformity  in  the 
manner  in  which  they  have  found,  comprehended  and 
worshiped  God.  Nay,  this  is  not  all.  Even  among 
Christians,  and,  if  we  give  the  subject  a  careful  exami- 
nation, even  among  tliose  who  confess  one  and  the  same 
faith  and  are  members  of  one  and  the  same  church,  we 
find  that  the  religion  of  one  man  is  never  perfectly 
like  that  of  another.  They  may  use  the  same  prayers, 
learn  and  subscribe  to  the  same  confession,  hear  the 
same  preacher  and  take  part  in  the  same  ceremonies, 
but  still  the  prayer,  faith  and  worship  of  the  one  will 
differ  from  the  prayer,  faith  and  worship  of  the  other. 
Two  persons  are  never  precisely  alike,  and  every  one 
will  interpret  the  words  which  he  hears  and  the  cere- 
monies in  which  he  takes  part  according  to  the  depth 
and  breadth  of  his  mind  and  heart  —  according  to  the 
extent  and  kind  of  his  knowledge  and  experience,  and 
according  to  other  personal  peculiarities  and  character- 
istics. Even  this  is  not  all.  Every  person  changes  his 
religious  views  as  he  grows  older,  as  his  knowledge  and 
experience  increase,  so  that  the  faith  of  the  youth  is 
not  that  of  the  child,  nor  does  the  man  with  silvery 
locks  approach  the  altar  with  precisely  the  same  faith 
as  when  he  knelt  there  a  youth.  For  it  is  not  the 
words  and  ceremonies,  but  the  thoughts  and  feelings, 
that  we  combine  with  these  symbols,  that  constitute 
our  religion ;  it  is  not  the  confession  which  we  learned 
at  school,  but  the  ideas  that  are  suggested  by  it  in  our 


HIKTS   TO    PKEACHEES.  33 

minds,  and  the  emotions  awakened  by  it  in  our  hearts, 
that  constitute  our  faith. 

If  the  preachers  of  the  Christian  religion  realized 
these  truths  more  than  they  generally  seem  to  do,  they 
would  perhaps  speak  with  more  charity  and  less  scorn 
and  contempt  of  people  who  difiFer  from  them  in  their 
religious  views.  They  would  recognize  in  the  faith  of 
others  the  same  connecting  link  between  God  and  man 
for  them,  as  their  own  faith  is  for  themselves.  They 
would  not  hate  the  Jew  because  he,  in  accordance  with 
the  Mosaic  commandment,  offers  his  prayers  in  the 
synagogue  to  the  God  of  his  fathers;  nor  despise  the 
heathen  because  he,  in  want  of  better  knowledge,  in 
childlike  simplicity  lifts  his  hands  in  prayer  to  an  im- 
age of  wood  or  stone;  for,  although  this  be  perishable 
dust,  he  still  addresses  the  prayer  of  his  inmost  soul  to 
the  supreme  God,  even  as  the  child,  that  kisses  the 
picture  of  his  absent  mother,  actually  thinks  of  her. 

The  old  mythological  stories  of  the  Norsemen  abound 
in  poetry  of  the  truest  and  most  touching  character. 
These  stories  tell  us  in  sublime  and  wonderful  speech 
of  the  workings  of  external  nature,  and  may  make  us 
cheerful  or  sad,  happy  or  mournful,  gay  or  grave,  just 
as  we  might  feel,  if  from  the  pinnacle  of  Gausta  Fjeld 
we  were  to  watch  the  passing  glories  of  morning  and 
evening  tide.  There  is  nothing  in  these  stories  that 
can  tend  to  make  us  less  upright  and  simple,  while 
they  contain  many  thoughts  and  suggestions  that  we 
may  be  the  better  and  happier  for  knowing.  All  the 
so-called  disagreeable  features  of  mythology  are  nothing 
but  distortions,  brought  out  either  by  ill-will  or  by  a 
superficial  knowledge  of  the  subject;  and,  when  these 
distortions  are  removed,  we  shall  find  only  things  beau- 
tiful,  lovely  and   of  good   report.      We   shall   find  the 


34  THE   MYTHOLOGY    OF   OUR   ANCESTORS. 

simple  thoughts  of  our  childlike,  imaginative,  poetic  and 
prophetic  foi'efathers  upon  the  wonderful  works  of  their 
maker,  and  nothing  that  "we  may  laugh  at,  or  despise, 
or  79^7^.  These  words  of  our  fathers,  if  read  in  the 
right  spirit,  will  make  us  feel  as  we  ought  to  feel  when 
we  contemplate  the  glory  and  beauty  of  the  heavens 
and  the  earth,  and  observe  how  wonderfully  all  things 
are  adapted  to  each  other  and  to  the  wants  of  man, 
that  the  thoughts  of  him  who  stands  at  the  helm  of 
this  ship  of  the  universe  (Skidbladner)  must  be  very 
deep,  and  that  we  are  sensible  to  the  same  joys  and 
sufferings,  are  actuated  by  the  same  fears  and  hopes 
and  passions,  that  were  felt  by  the  men  and  women 
who  lived  in  the  dawn  of  our  Gothic  history.  We  will 
begin  to  realize  how  the  great  and  wise  Creator  has  led 
our  race  on  —  slowly,  perhaps,  but  nevertheless  surely  — 
to  the  consciousness  that  he  is  a  loving  and  righteous 
Father,  and  that  he  has  made  the  sun  and  moon  and 
stars,  the  earth,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  in  their  sea- 
son. 

The  Norse  mythology  reflects,  then,  the  religious, 
moral,  intellectual  and  social  development  of  our  ances- 
tors in  the  earliest  period  of  their  existence.  We  say 
our  ancestors,  for  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  in  its 
most  original  form  this  mythology  was  common  to  all 
the  Teutonic  nations,  to  the  ancestors  of  the  Americans 
and  the  English,  as  well  as  to  those  of  the  Norsemen, 
Swedes  and  Danes.  Geographically  it  extended  not  only 
over  the  whole  of  Scandinavia,  including  Iceland,  but 
also  over  England  and  a  considerable  portion  of  France 
and  Germany.  But  it  is  only  in  Iceland,  that  weird 
island  of  the  icy  sea,  with  the  snow-clad  volcano  Mt. 
Hecla  for  its  hearth,  encircled  by  a  wall  of  ^glaciers, 
and   with   the  roaring  North   Sea  for  its  grave, —  it  is 


IN    ITS   OLDEST   FOEM   IT   IS   TEUTONIC.  35 

only  in  Iceland  that  anything  like  a  complete  record 
of  this  ancient  Teutonic  mythology  was  put  in  writ- 
ing and  preserved;  and  this  fact  alone  ought  to  be 
quite  sufficient  to  lead  us  to  cultivate  a  better  acquaint- 
ance with  the  literature  of  Scandinavia.  To  use  the 
words  of  that  excellent  Icelandic  scholar,  the  English- 
man George  Webbe  Dasent:  It  is  well  known,  says 
he,  that  the  Icelandic  language,  which  has  been  pre- 
served almost  incorrupt  in  that  remarkable  island,  has 
remained  for  many  centuries  the  depository  of  literary 
treasures,  the  common  property  of  all  the  Scandinavian 
and  Teutonic  races,  which  would  otherwise  have  per- 
ished, as  they  have  perished  in  Norway,  Denmark, 
Sweden,  G-ermany  and  England.  There  was  a  time 
when  all  these  countries  had  a  common  mythology, 
when  the  royal  race  in  each  of  them  traced  its  descent 
in  varying  genealogies  up  to  Odin  and  the  gods  of 
Asgard.  Of  that  mythology,  luliicli  may  hold  its  own 
against  any  other  that  the  world  has  seen,  all  memory, 
as  a  systematic  whole,  has  vanished  from  the  mediaeval 
literature  of  Teutonic  Europe.  With  the  introduction 
of  Christianity,  the  ancient  gods  had  been  deposed 
and  their  places  assigned  to  devils  and  witches.  Here 
and  there  a  tradition,  a  popular  tale  or  a  superstition 
bore  testimon,y  to  what  had  been  lost;  and,  though 
in  this  century  the  skill  and  wisdom  of  the  Grimms 
and  their  school  have  shown  the  world  what  power 
of  restoration  and  reconstruction  abides  in  intelli- 
gent scholarship  and  laborious  research,  even  the 
genius  of  the  great  master  of  that  school  of  criticism 
would  have  lost  nine-tenths  of  its  poiver  had  not  faith- 
ful Iceland  preserved  through  the  dark  ages  the  two 
Eddas,  which  present  to  us,  in  features  that  cannot  he 
mistaken,  and  in  tvords  which  cannot  die,  the  very  form 


36  WHAT   DASENT   SAYS. 

and  fashion  of  that  wojuh'ous  edifice  of  mythohgy  which 
our  forefathers  in  the  da-wn  of  time  imagined  to  tliem- 
selves  as  the  temple  at  once  of  their  gods  and  of  the 
ivorship  due  to  them  from  all  mankind  on  tJiis  middle 
earth.  For  man,  according  to  their  system  of  belief, 
could  have  no  existence  but  for  those  gods  and  stalwart 
divinities,  who,  from  their  abode  in  Asgard,  were  ever 
watchful  to  protect  him  and  crush  the  common  foes  of 
both,  the  earthly  race  of  giants,  or,  in  other  words, -the 
chaolic  natural  powers.  Any  one,  therefore,  that  desires 
to  see  what  manner  of  men  his  forefathers  were  in  their 
relation  to  the  gods,  how  they  conceived  their  theogony, 
how  they  imagined  and  constructed  their  cosmogony, 
must  betake  himself  to  the  Eddas,  as  illustrated  by  the 
Sagas,  and  he  will  there  find  ample  details  on  all  these 
points;  while  the  Anglo-Saxon  and  Teutonic  literatures 
only  throw  out  vague  hints  and  allusions.  As  we  read 
Beowulf  and  the  Traveler's  Song,  for  instance,  we  meet 
at  every  step  references  to  mythological  stories  and  myth- 
ical events,  which  would  be  utterly  unintelligible  were 
it  not  for  the  full  light  thrown  ujion  them  by  the  Ice- 
landic literature.     Thus  far  Dasent's  opinion. 

The  Norse  mythology,  we  say,  then,  shows  what  the 
religion  of  our  ancestors  was;  and  their  religion  is  the 
main  fact  that  we  care  to  know  about  them.  Knowing 
this  well, 'we  can  easily  account  for  the  rest.  Their  re- 
ligion is  the  soul  of  their  history.  Their  religion  tells 
us  what  they  felt;  their  feelings  produced  their  thoughts, 
and  their  thoughts  were  the  parents  of  their  acts.  When 
we  study  their  religion,  we  discover  the  unseen  and 
spiritual  fountain  from  which  all  their  outward  acts 
welled  forth,  and  by  which  the  character  of  these  was 
determined. 

The  mythology  is  neither  the  history  nor  the  poetry 


THOMAS    CARLYLE.  37 

nor  the  natural  philosophy  of  our  ancestors;  but  it  is 
the  germ  and  nucleus  of  them  all.  It  is  history,  for  it 
treats  of  events;  but  it  is  not  history  in  the  ordinary 
acceptance  of  that  word,  for  the  persons  figuring  therein 
have  never  existed.  It  is  natural  philosophy,  for  it  in- 
vestigates the  origin  of  nature;  but  it  is  not  natural 
philosophy  according  to  modern  ideas,  for  it  personifies 
and  deifies  nature.  It  is  metaphysics,  for  it  studies  the 
science  and  the  laws  of  being;  but  it  is  7iot  metaphysics 
in  our  sense  of  the  word,  for  it  rapidly  overleaps  all 
categories.  It  is  poetry  in  its  very  essence;  but  its  pic- 
tures are  streams  that  flow  together.  Thus  the  Norse 
mythology  is  history,  but  limited  to  neither  time  nor 
place;  poetry,  but  independent  of  arses  or  theses;  phi- 
losophy, but  without  abstractions  or  syllogisms. 

We  close  this  chapter  vnt\\  the  following  extract  from 
Thomas  Carlyle's  essays  on  Heroes  and  Hero-worship; 
an  extract  that  undoubtedly  will  be  read  with  interest 
and  pleasure: 

In  that  strange  island  —  Iceland  —  burst  up,  the  geologists 
say,  by  fire,  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea ;  a  wild  land  of  barren- 
ness and  lava ;  swallowed,  many  months  of  the  year,  in  black 
tempests,  yet  with  a  wild,  gleaming  beauty  in  summer-time ; 
towering  up  there,  stern  and  grim,  in  the  North  Ocean ;  with 
its  snow-jokuls,  roaring  geysers,  sul.phur  pools  and  horrid  vol- 
canic chasms,  like  the  waste,  chaotic  battle-field  of  frost  and  fire 
—  where  of  all  places  we  least  looked  for  literature  or  written 
memorials ;  the  record  of  these  things  was  written  down.  On 
the  seaboard  of  this  wild  land  is  a  rim  of  grassy  country,  where 
cattle  can  subsist,  and  men,  by  means  of  them  and  of  what  the 
sea  yields;  and  it  seems  they  were  poetic  men,  these — ^^men  who 
had  deep  thoughts  in  them,  and  uttered  musically  their  thoughti-'. 
Much  would  be  lost  had  Iceland  not  been  burst  up  from  the 
sea  —  not  been  discovered  by  the  Northmen!  The  old  Norse 
poets  were  many  of  them  natives  of  Iceland. 

Siaemund,  one  of  the  early  Christian  priests  there,  who  per- 
haps had  a  lingering  fondness  for  paganism,  collected  certain  of 


38  THOMAS   CAKLYLE. 

their  old  pagan  songs,  just  about  becoming  obsolete  then  — 
poems  or  chants,  of  a  mythic,  prophetic,  mostly  all  of  a  reli- 
gious, character:  this  is  what  Norse  critics  call  the  Elder  or 
Poetic  Edda.  Edda,  a  word  of  uncertain  etymology,  is  thought 
to  signify  Ancestress.  Snorre  Sturlesou,  an  Iceland  gentleman, 
an  extremely  notable  personage,  educated  by  this  Ssemund's 
grandson,  took  in  hand  next,  near  a  century  afterwards,  to  put 
together,  among  several  other  books  he  wrote,  a  kind  of  prose 
synopsis  of  the  whole  mythology,  elucidated  by  new  fragments 
of  traditionary  verse;  a  work  constructed  really  with  great 
ingenuity,  native  talent,  what  one  might  call  unconscious  art ; 
altogether  a  perspicuous,  clear  work  —  pleasant  reading  still. 
This  is  the  Younger  or  Prose  Edda.  By  these  and  the  numer- 
ous other  Sagas,  mostly  Icelandic,  with  the  commentaries,  Icelandic 
or  not,  which  go  on  zealously  in  the  North  to  this  day,  it  is 
possible  to  gain  some  direct  insight  even  yet,  and  see  that  old 
system  of  belief,  as  it  were,  face  to  face.  Let  us  forget  that  it 
is  erroneous  religion:  let  us  look  at  it  as  old  thought,  and  try 
if  we  cannot  sympathize  with  it  somewhat. 

The  primary  characteristic  of  this  old  Northland  mythology 
I  find  to  be  impersonation  of  the  visible  workings  of  nature  — 
earnest,  simple  recognition  of  the  workings  of  physical  nature, 
as  a  thing  wholly  miraculous,  stupendous  and  divine.  "What  we 
low  lecture  of  as  science,  they  wondered  at,  and  fell  down  in 
awe  before,  as  religion.  The  dark,  hostile  powers  of  nature 
they  figured  to  themselves  as  JiHuns  (giants),  huge,  shaggy 
beings,  of  a  demoniac  character.  Frost,  Fire,  Sea,  Tempest,  these 
are  Jotuns.  The  friendly  powers,  again,  as  Summer-heat,  the 
Bun,  are  gods.  The  Empire  of  this  Universe  is  divided  between 
these  two ;  they  dwell  apart  in  perennial  internecine  feud.  The 
gods  dwell  above  in  Asgard,  the  Garden  of  the  Asas,  or  Divin- 
ities; Jutunheim,  a  distant,  dark,  chaotic  land,  is  the  home  of 
the  Jotuns. 

Curious,  all  this;  and  not  idle  or  inane  if  we  will  look  at 
the  foundation  of  it.  The  power  of  Fire  or  Flame,  for  instance, 
which  we  designate  by  some  trivial  chemical  name,  thereby  hid- 
ing from  ourselves  the  essential  character  of  wonder  that  dwells 
in  it,  as  in  all  things,  is,  with  these  old  Northmen,  Loge,  a  most 
swift,  subtle  demon,  of  the  brood  of  the  Jotuns.  The  savages 
of  the  Ladrones  Islands,  too  (say  some  Spanish  voyagers),  thought 
■^re,  which  they  had  never  seen  before,  was  a  devil,  or  god, 


THOMAS    CARLYLE.  39 

that  bit  you  sharply  wheu  you  touched  it,  and  lived  there  upon 
dry  wood.  From  us,  too,  no  chemistry,  if  it  had  not  stupidity 
to  help  it,  would  hide  that  flame  is  a  wonder.  What  is  flame? 
Frost  the  old  Norse  seer  discerns  to  be  a  monstrous,  hoary 
Jiitun,  the  giant  Tlirym,  Ilrym,  or  Rime,  the  old  word,  now  nearly 
obsolete  here,  but  still  used  in  Scotland  to  signify  hoar-frost. 
Rime  was  not  then,  as  now,  a  dead  chemical  thing,  but  a  living 
Jotun,  or  Devil ;  the  monstrous  Jutun  Rime  drove  home  his 
horses  at  night,  sat  combing  their  manes; — which  horses  were 
Hail-clouds,  or  fleet  Frost-winds.  His  cows  —  no,  not  his,  but  a 
kinsman's,  the  giant  Hymer's  cows — are  Icebergs.  This  Hymer 
looks  at  the  rocks  with  his  devil-eye,  and  they  split  in  the 
glance  of  it. 

Thunder  was  then  not  mere  electricity,  vitreous  or  resin-, 
ous;  it  was  the  god  Conner  (Thunder),  or  Thor, —  god,  also,  of 
the  beneficent  Summer-heat.  The  thunder  was  his  wrath ;  the 
gathering  of  the  black  clouds  is  the  drawing  down  of  Thor'a 
angry  brows;  the  fire-bolt  bursting  out  of  heaven  is  the  all- 
rending  hammer  flung  from  the  hand  of  Thor.  He  urges  his 
loud  chariot  over  the  m.ountain  tops  —  that  is  the  peal ;  wrath- 
ful he  blows  in  his  red  beard — that  is  the  rustling  storm- 
blast  before  the  thunder  begins.  Balder,  again,  the  White 
God,  the  beautiful,  the  just  and  benignant,  (whom  the  early 
Christian  missionaries  found  to  resemble  Christ,)  is  the  sun — 
beautifulest  of  visible  things:  wondrous,  too,  and  divine  still, 
after  all  our  astronomies  and  almanacs !  But  perhaps  the  nota- 
blest  god  we  hear  tell  of  is  one  of  whom  Grimm,  the  German 
etymologist,  finds  trace:  the  god  Wlinsch,  or  Wish.  The  god 
Wish,  who  could  give  us  all  that  we  wislied  I  Is  not  this  the 
sincerest  and  yet  the  rudest  voice  of  the  spirit  of  man?  The 
rudest  ideal  that  man  ever  formed,  which  still  shows  itself  in 
the  latest  forms  of  our  spiritual  culture.  Higher  considerations 
have  to  teach  us  that  the  god   Wish  is  not  the  true  God. 

Of  the  other  gods  or  Jotuns,  I  will  mention,  only  for  ety- 
mology's sake,  that  Sea-tempest  is  the  Jotun  JEgir,  a  very  dan- 
gerous Jtitun;  and  now  to  this  day,  on  our  river  Trent,  as  I 
learn,  the  Nottingham  bargemen,  when  the  river  is  in  a  certain 
flooded  state  (a  kind  of  back-water  or  eddying  swirl  it  has,  very 
dangerous  to  them),  call  it  Eager.  They  cry  out,  Have  a  care! 
there  is  the  Eager  coming!  Curious,  that  word  surviving,  like 
the  peak  of  a  submerged  world!     The  oldest  Nottingham  barge- 


40  THOMAS   CARLYLE, 

men  had  believed  in  the  god  ^gir.  Indeed,  our  English  blood, 
too,  in  good  part,  is  Danish,  Norse, —  or  rather,  at  the  bottom, 
Danish  and  Norse  and  Saxon  have  no  distinction,  except  a 
superficial  one  —  as  of  Heathen  and  Christian,  or  the  like..  But 
all  over  our  island  we  are  mingled  largely  with  Danes  proper 
—  from  the  incessant  invasions  there  were ;  and  this,  of  course, 
in  a  greater  proportion  along  the  east  coast ;  and  greatest  of  all, 
as  I  find,  in  the  north  country.  From  the  Plumber  upward,  all 
over  Scotland,  the  speech  of  the  common  people  is  still  in  a 
singular  degree  Icelandic ;  its  Germanism  Las  still  a  peculiar 
Norse  tinge.  They,  too,  are  Normans,  Northmen  —  if  that  be 
any  great  beauty ! 

Of  the  chief  god,  Odin,  we  shall  speak  by-and-by.  Mark, 
at  present,  so  much:  what  the  essence  of  Scandinavian,  and, 
indeed,  of  all  paganism,  is :  a  recognition  of  the  forces  of  nature 
as  godlike,  stupendous,  personal  agencies  —  as  gods  and  demons. 
Not  inconceivable  to  us.  It  is  the  infant  thought  of  man  open- 
ing itself  with  awe  and  wonder  on  this  ever  stupendous  uni- 
verse. It  is  strange,  after  our  beautiful  Apollo  statues  and 
clear  smiling  mythuses,  to  come  down  upon  the  Norse  gods 
brewing  ale  to  hold  their  feast  with  Aegir,  the  Sea-Jotun ; 
sending  out  Thor  to  get  the  caldron  for  them  in  the  Jotun 
country ;  Thor,  after  many  adventures,  clapping  the  pot  on  his 
head,  like  a  huge  hat,  and  walking  oflF  with  it  —  quite  lost  in  it, 
the  ears  of  the  pot  reaching  down  to  his  heels !  A  kind  of 
vacant  hugeness,  large,  awkward  gianthood,  characterizes  that 
Norse  system ;  enormous  force,  as  yet  altogether  untutored, 
stalking  helpless,  with  large,  uncertain  strides.  Consider  only 
their  primary  mythus  of  the  Creation.  The  gods  having  got  the 
giant  Ymer  slain  —  a  giant  made  by  warm  winds  and  much 
confused  work  out  of  the  conflict  of  Frost  and  Fire  —  determined 
on  constructing  a  world 'with  him.  His  blood  made  the  sea; 
his  flesh  was  the  Land  ;  the  Rocks,  his  bones ;  of  his  eyebrows 
they  formed  Asgard,  their  gods'  dwelling;  Ids  skull  was  the 
great  blue  vault  of  Immensity,  and  the  brains  of  it  became  the 
Clouds.  What  a  Hyper-Brobdignagian  business !  Untamed 
thought,  great,  giantlike,  enormous;  to  be  tamed,  in  due  time, 
into  the  compact  greatness,  not  giantlike,  but  godlike,  and 
stronger  than  gianthood  of  the  Shakespeares,  the  Goethes ! 
Spiritually,  as  well  as  bodily,  these  men  are  our  progenitors. 


CHAPTER  II. 


"WHY    CALL    THIS    MYTHOLOGY    XOESE  ?       OUGHT    IT    NOT 
RATHER   TO    BE    CALLED    GOTHIC    OR   TEUTONIC? 

IN  its  original  form,  the  mythology,  which  is  to  be 
presented  in  this  volume,  was  common  to  all  the  Teu- 
tonic nations;  and  it  spread  itself  geographically  over 
England,  the  most  of  France  and  Germany,  as  well  as 
over  Denmark,  Sweden,  Norway,  and  Iceland.  But 
when  the  Teutonic  nations  parted,  took  possession  of 
their  respective  countries,  and  began  to  differ  one  nation 
from  the  other,  in  language,  customs  and  social  and 
political  institutions,  and  were  influenced  by  the  pecu- 
liar features  of  the  countries  which  they  respectively 
inhabited,  then  the  germ  of  mythology  which  each  na- 
tion brought  with  it  into  its  changed  conditions  of  life, 
would  also  be  subject  to  changes  and  developments  in 
harmony  and  keeping  with  the  various  conditions  of 
climate,  language,  customs,  social  and  political  institu- 
tions, and  other  influences  that  nourished  it,  while  the 
fundamental  myths  remained  common  to  all  the  Teu- 
tonic nations.  Hence  we  might  in  one  sense  speak  of 
a  Teutonic  mythology.  That  would  then  be  the  my- 
thology of  the  Teutonic  peoples,  as  it  was  known  to 
them  while  they  all  lived  together,  some  four  or  five 
hundred  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  Russia,  without  any  of  the  peculiar  feat- 
ures that  have  been  added  later  by  any  of  the  several 
4  (41) 


42  INTEODUCTION    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

branches  of  that  race.  But  from  this  time  we  have  no 
Teutonic  literature.  In  another  sense,  we  must  recog- 
nize a  distinct  German  mythology,  a  distinct  English 
mythology,  and  even  make  distinction  between  the  my- 
thologies of  Denmark,  Sweden,  and  Norway. 

That  it  is  only  of  the  Norse  mythology  we  have 
anything  like  a  complete  record,  was  alluded  to  in  the 
first  chapter;  but  we  will  now  make  a  more  thorough 
examination  of  this  fact. 

The  different  branches  of  the  Teutonic  mythology 
died  out  and  disappeared  as  Christianity  gradually 
became  introduced,  first  in  France,  about  five  hundred 
years  after  the  birth  of  Christ;  then  in  England,  one 
or  two  hundred  years  later;  still  later,  in  Germany, 
where  the  Saxons,  Christianized  by  Charlemagne  about 
A.  D.  800,  were  the  last  heathen  people. 

But  in  Norway,  Sweden,  Denmark  and  Iceland,  the 
original  Gothic  heathenism  lived  longer  and  more  inde- 
pendently than  elsewhere,  and  had  more  favorable  oppor- 
tunities to  grow  and  mature.  The  ancient  mythological 
or  pagan  religion  flourished  here  until  about  the  middle 
of  the  eleventh  century;  or,  to  speak  more  accurately, 
Christianity  was  not  completely  introduced  in  Iceland 
before  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh  century;  in  Den- 
mark and  Norway,  some  twenty  to  thirty  years  later; 
wliile  in  Sweden,  paganism  was  not  wholly  eradicated 
before  1150. 

Yet  neither  Norway,  Sweden  nor  Denmark  give  us 
any  mythological  literature.  This  is  furnished  us  only 
by  the  Norsemen,  who  had  settled  in  Iceland.  Shortly 
after  the  introduction  of  Christianity,  which  gave  the 
Norsemen  the  so-called  Eoman  alphabetical  system 
instead  of  their  famous  Eunic  futliorc,  there  was  put 
in  writing  in  Iceland  a  colossal   mythological  and   his- 


THE    CATHOLIC    PKIESTS.  43 

torical  literature,  which  is  the  full-blown  flower  of 
Gothic  paganism.  In  the  other  countries  inhabited 
by  Gothic  (Scandinavian,  Low  Dutch  and  English)  and 
Germanic  (High  German)  races,  scarcely  any  mytho- 
logical literature  was  produced.  The  German  Niebe- 
lungen-Lied  and  the  Anglo-Saxon  Beowulf's  Drapa  are 
at  best  only  semi-mythological.  The  overthrow  of  hea- 
thendom was  too  abrupt  and  violent.  Its  eradication 
was  so  complete  that  the  heathen  religion  was  almost 
wholly  obliterated  from  the  memory  of  the  people. 
Occasionally  there  are  found  authors  who  refer  to  it, 
but  their  allusions  are  very  vague  and  defective,  besides 
giving  unmistakable  evidence  of  being  written  with  pre- 
judice and  contempt.  Nor  do  we  find  among  the  early 
Germans  that  spirit  of  veneration  for  the  memories  of 
the  past,  and  desire  to  perpetuate  them  in  a  vernacular 
literature ;  or  if  they  did  exist,  they  were  smothered  by 
the  Catholic  priesthood.  When  the  Catholic  priests 
gained  the  ascendancy,  they  adopted  the  Latin  language 
and  used  that  exclusively  for  recording  events,  and  they 
pronounced  it  a  sin  even  to  mention  by  name  the  old  pa- 
gan gods  oftener  than  necessity  compelled  them  to  do  so. 
Among  the  Norsemen,  on  the  other  hand,  and  to  a 
considerable  extent  among  the  English,  too,  the  old 
religion  flourished  longer;  the  people  cherished  their 
traditions;  they  loved  to  recite  the  songs  and  Sagas, 
in  which  were  recorded  the  religious  faith  and  brave 
deeds  of  their  ancestors,  and  cultivated  their  native 
speech  in  spite  of  the  priests.  In  Iceland  at  least,  the 
priests  did  not  succeed  in  rooting  out  paganism,  if  you 
please,  before  it  had  developed  sufficiently  to  produce 
those  beautiful  blossoms,  the  Elder  and  Younger  Eddas. 
The  chief  reason  of  this  was,  that  the  people  continued 
to  use  their  mother-tongue,  in  writing  as  well  as  in  speak- 


44  THE    EDDAS. 

ing,  so  that  Latin,  the  language  of  the  church,  never 
got  a  foothold.  It  was  useless  for  the  monks  to  try  to 
tell  Sagas  in  Latin,  for  they  found  but  few  readers  in 
that  tongue.  An  important  result  of  this  was,  that 
the  Saga  became  the  property  of  the  people,  and  not  of 
the  favored  few.  In  the  next  place,  our  Norse  Icelandic 
ancestors  took  a  profound  delight  in  poetry  and  song. 
The  skald  sung  in  the  mother-speech,  and  taking  the 
most  of  the  material  for  his  songs  and  poems  from  the 
old  mythological  tales,  it  was  necessary  to  study  and 
become  familiar  with  these,  in  order  that  he  might  be 
able,  on  the  one  hand,  to  understand  the  productions 
of  others,  and,  on  the  other,  to  compose  songs  himself. 
Among  the  numerous  examples  which  illustrate  how 
tenaciously  the  Norsemen  clung  to  their  ancient  divin- 
ities, we  may  mention  the  skald  Hallfred,  who,  when 
he  was  baptized  by  the  king  Olaf  Tryggvesson,  declared 
bravely  to  the  king,  that  he  would  neither  speak  ill  of 
the  old  gods,  nor  refrain  from  mentioning  them  in  his 
songs. 

The  reason,  then,  why  we  cannot  present  a  complete 
and  thoroughly  systematic  Teutonic  or  German  or  Eng- 
lish or  Danish  or  Swedish  Mythology,  is  not  that  these 
did  not  at  some  time  exist,  but  because  their  records 
are  so  defective.  Outside  of  Norway  and  Iceland, 
Christianity,  together  with  disregard  of"  past  memories, 
has  swept  most  of  the  resources,  with  which  to  construct 
them,  away  from  the  surface,  and  there  remain  only 
deeply  buried  ruins,  which  it  is  difficult  to  dig  up  and 
still  more  difficult  to  polish  and  adjust  into  their  orig- 
inal symmetrical  and  comprehensive  form  after  they 
have  been  brought  to  the  surface.  It  is  difficult  to 
gather  all  the  scattered  and  partially  decayed  bones  of 
the  mythological  system,  and  with  the  breath  of  human 


MYTHOLOGY   IN   ITS    GERMANIC    FORM.  45 

intellect  reproduce  a  living  vocal  organism.  Few  have 
attempted  to  do  this  with  greater  success  than  the 
brothers  Grimm, 

For  the  elucidation  of  our  mythology  in  its  Ger- 
manic form,  for  instance,  the  materials,  although  they 
are  not  wholly  wanting,  are  yet  difficult  to  make  use 
of,  since  they  are  widely  scattered,  and  must  be  sought 
partly  in  quite  corrupted  popular  legends,  partly  in 
writings  of  the  middle  ages,  where  they  are  sometimes 
found  interpolated,  and  where  we  often  least  should 
expect  to  find  them.  But  in  its  Norse  form  we  have 
ample  material  for  studying  the  Asa-mythology.  Here 
we  have  as  our  guide  not  only  a  large  number  of 
skaldic  lays,  composed  while  the  mythology  still  flour- 
ished, but  even  a  complete  religious  system,  written 
down,  it  is  true,  after  Christianity  had  been  introduced 
in  Iceland,  still,  according  to  all  evidence,  without  the 
Christian  ideas  having  had  any  special  influence  upon 
its  delineation,  or  having  materially  corrupted  it.  These 
lays,  manuscripts,  etc.,  which  form  the  source  of  Norse 
mythology,  will  be  more  fully  discussed  in  another 
chapter  of  this  Introduction. 

We  may  add  further,  that  if  we  had,  in  a  complete 
system,  the  mythology  of  the  Germans,  the  English, 
etc.,  we  should  find,  in  comparing  them  with  the  Norse, 
the  same  correspondence  and  identity  as  we  find  exist- 
ing between  the  diflerent  branches  of  the  Teutonic 
family  of  languages.  We  should  find  in  its  essence  the 
same  mythology  in  all  the  Teutonic  countries,  we  should 
find  this  again  dividing  itself  into  two  groups,  the  Ger- 
manic and  the  Gothic,  and  the  latter  group,  that  is,  the 
Gothic,  would  include  the  ancient  religion  of  the  Scan- 
dinavians, English,  and  Low  Dutch.  If  we  had  sufficient 
means  for  making  a  comparison,  we  should  find  that 


46   THOR  NOT  THE  SAME  IN  NORWAY  AND  DENMARK. 

any  single  myth  may  have  become  more  prominent^ 
may  have  become  more  perfectly  developed  by  one  branch 
of  the  race  than  by  another;  one  branch  of  the  great 
Teutonic  family  may  have  become  more  attached  to  a 
certain  myth  than  another,  while  the  myth  itself 
would  remain  identical  everywhere.  Local  myths,  that. 
is,  myths  produced  by  the  contemplation  of  the  visible 
workings  of  external  nature,  are  colored  by  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  people  and  country  where  they  are  fostered. 
The  god  Frey  received  especial  attention  by  the  Asa- 
worshipers  in  Sweden,  but  the  Norse  and  Danish  Frey 
are  still  in  reality  the  same  god.  Thunder  produces  not 
the  same  effect  upon  the  people  among  the  towering 
and  precipitous  mountains  of  Norway  and  the  level 
plains  of  Denmark,  but  the  Thor  of  Norway  and  of 
Denmark  are  still  the  same  god;  although  in  Norway 
he  is  tall  as  a  mountain,  his  beard  is  briers,  and  he 
rushes  upon  his  heroic  deeds  with  the  strength  and 
frenzy  of  a  berserk,  while  in  Denmark  he  wanders  along 
the  sea-shore,  a  youth,  with  golden  locks  and  downy 
beard. 

It  is  the  Asa-mythology,  as  it  was  conceived  and 
cherished  by  the  Norsemen  of  Norway  and  Iceland, 
which  the  Old  Norse  literature  properly  presents  to  us, 
and  hence  the  myths  will  in  this  volume  be  presented 
in  their  Norse  dress,  and  hence  its  name,  Norse  Mythol- 
ogy. From  what  has  already  been  said,  there  is  no 
reason  to  doubt  that  the  Swedes  and  Danes  professed 
in  the  main  the  same  faith,  followed  the  same  religious 
customs,  and  had  the  same  religious  institutions;  and 
upon  this  supposition  other  English  writers  upon  this 
subject,  as  for  instance  Benjamin  Thorpe,  have  entitled 
their  books  Scandinavian  Mythology.  But  we  do  not 
know  the   details    of  the   religious  faith,  customs   and 


NOESE    MYTHOLOGY.  47 

institutions  of  Sweden  and  Denmark,  for  all  reliable 
inland  sources  of  information  are  wanting,  and  all  the 
highest  authorities  on  this  subject  of  investigation,  such 
as  Rudolph  Keyser,  P.  A.  Munch,  Ernst  Sars,  N.  M. 
Petersen  and  others,  unanimously  declare,  that  although 
the  ancient  Norse-Icelandic  writings  not  unfrequently 
treat  of  heathen  religious  affairs  in  Sweden  and  Den- 
mark, yet,  when  they  do,  it  is  always  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  conception  is  clearly  Norse,  and  the  delineation 
is  throughout  adapted  to  institutions  as  they  existed  in 
Norway.  We  are  aware  that  there  are  those  who  will 
feel  inclined  to  criticise  us  for  not  calling  this  mythol- 
ogy Scandinavian  or  Northern  (a  more  elastic  term), 
but  we  would  earnestly  recommend  them  to  examine 
carefully  the  writings  of  the  above  named  writers  before 
waxing  too  zealous  on  the  subject. 

As  we  closed  the  previous  chapter  with  an  extract 
from  Thomas  Carlyle,  so  we  will  close  this  chapter  with 
a  brief  quotation  from  an  equally  eminent  scholar,  the 
author  of  Cliips  from  a  German  Workshop.  In  the 
second  volume  of  that  work  Max  Miiller  says:* 

There  is,  after  Anglo-Saxon,  no  language,  no  literature,  no 
mythology  so  full  of  interest  for  the  elucidation  of  the  earliest 
history  of  the  race  which  now  inhabits  these  British  isles  as  the 
Icelandic.  Nay,  in  one  respect  Icelandic  beats  every  other  dia- 
lect of  the  great  Teutonic  family  of  speech,  not  excepting  Anglo- 
Saxon  and  Old  High  German  and  Gothic.  It  is  in  Icelandic  alone 
that  we  find  complete  remains  of  genuine  Teutonic  heathendom. 
Gothic,  as  a  language,  is  more  ancient  than  Icelandic ;  but  the 
only  literary  work  which  we  possess  in  Gothic  is  a  translation 
of  the  Bible.  The  Anglo-Saxon  literature,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Beowulf,  is  Christian.  The  old  heroes  of  the  Niebelunge, 
such  as  we  find  them  represented  in  the  Suabian  epic,  have  been 
converted  into  church-going  knights ;  whereas,  in  the  ballads  of 

*  Max  Miiller's  Review  of  Dr.  Dasent's  The  Norseman  in  Iceland. 


48  MAX   MiJLLER. 

the  Elder  Edda,  Sigurd  and  Brynliild  appear  before  us  in  their 
full  pagan  grandeur,  holding  nothing  sacrud  but  their  love,  and 
defying  all  laws,  human  and  divine,  in  the  name  of  that  one 
almighty  passion.  The  Icelandic  contains  the  key  to  many  a 
riddle  in  the  English  language  and  to  many  a  mystery  in  the 
English  character.  Though  the  Old  Norse  is  but  a  dialect  of 
the  same  language  which  the  Angles  and  Saxons  brougiit  to 
Britain,  though  the  Norman  blood  is  the  same  blood  that  floods 
and  ebbs  in  every  German  heart,  yet  there  is  an  accent  of  defi- 
ance in  that  rugged  northern  speech,  and  a  spring  of  daring 
madness  in  that  throbbing  northern  heart,  which  marks  the 
Northman  wherever  he  appears,  whether  in  Iceland  or  in  Sicily, 
whether  on  the  Seine  or  on  the  Thames.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
ninth  century,  when  the  great  northern  exodus  began,  Europe,  as 
Dr.  Dasent  remarks,  was  in  danger  of  becoming  too  comfortable. 
The  two  nations  destined  to  run  neck-and-neck  in  the  great  race 
of  civilization,  Frank  and  Anglo-Saxon,  had  a  tendency  to  become 
dull  and  lazy,  and  neither  could  arrive  at  perfection  till  it  had 
been  chastised  by  the  Norsemen,  and  finally  forced  to  admit  an 
infusion  of  northern  blood  into  its  sluggish  veins.  The  vigor  of 
the  various  branches  of  the  Teutonic  stock  may  be  measured  by 
the  proportion  of  Norman  blood  which  they  received;  and  the 
national  character  of  England  owes  more  to  the  descendants  of 
Hrolf  Ganger*  than  to  the  followers  of  Hengist  and  Horsa. 

But  what  is  known  of  the  early  history  of  the  Norsemen? 
Theirs  was  the  life  of  reckless  freebooters,  and  they  had  no  time 
to  dream  and  ponder  on  the  past,  which  they  had  left  behind  in 
Norway.  Where  they  settled  as  colonists  or  as  rulers,  their  own 
traditions,  their  very  language,  were  soon  forgotten.  Their  lan- 
guage has  nowhere  struck  root  on  foreign  ground,  even  where, 
as  in  Normandy,  they  became  earls  of  Rouen,  or,  as  in  these  isles, 
kings  of  England.  There  is  but  one  exception  —  Iceland.  Ice- 
land was  discovered,  peopled  and  civilized  by  Norsemen  in  the 
ninth  century ;  and  in  the  nineteenth  century  the  language 
spoken  there  is  still  the  dialect  of  Harald  Fairhair,  and  the 
stories  told  there  are  still  the  stories  of  the  Edda,  or  the  Vener- 
able Grandmother.  Dr.  Dasent  gives  us  a  rapid  sketch  of  the 
first  landings  of  the  Norse  refugees  on  the  fells  and  forths  of 
Iceland.     He  describes  how  love  of  freedom  drove  the   subjects 

*The  founder  of  Normandy  in  France. 


4  MAX    MiJLLER.  49 

of  Harald  Fairhair  forth  from  their  home ;  how  the  Teutonic 
tribes,  though  they  loved  their  kings,  the  sons  of  Odin,  and 
'sovereigns  by  the  grace  of  God,  detested  the  dictatorship  of 
Harald.  He  was  a  mighty  warrior,  so  says  the  ancient  Saga,  and 
laid  Norway  under  him,  and  put  out  of  the  way  some  of  those 
who  held  districts,  and  some  of  them  he  drove  out  of  the  land ; 
and  besides,  many  men  escaped  out  of  Norway  because  of  the 
overbearing  of  Harald  Fairhair,  for  they  would  not  stay  to  be 
subjects  to  him.  These  early  emigrants  were  pagans,  and  it  was 
not  till  the  end  of  the  tenth  century  that  Christianity  reached 
the  Ultima  Thule  of  Europe.  The  missionaries,  however,  who 
converted  the  freemen  of  Iceland,  were  freemen  themselves. 
They  did  not  come  with  the  pomp  and  the  pretensions  of  the 
church  of  Rome.  They  preached  Christ  rather  than  the  Pope ; 
they  taught  religion  rather  than  theology.  Nor  were  they  afraid 
of  the  old  heathen  gods,  or  angry  with  every  custom  that  was 
not  of  Christian  growth.  Sometimes  this  tolerance  may  have 
been  carried  too  far,  for  we  read  of  kings,  like  Helge,  who 
mixed  in  their  faith,  who  trusted  in  Christ,  but  at  the  same  time 
invoked  Thor's  aid  whenever  they  went  to  sea  or  got  into  any 
difficulty.  But  on  the  whole,  the  kindly  feeling  of  the  Icelandic 
priesthood  toward  the  national  traditions  and  customs  and  preju- 
dices of  their  converts  must  have  been  beneficial.  Sons  and 
daughters  were  not  forced  to  call  the  gods  whom  their  fathers 
and  mothers  had  worshiped,  devils ;  and  they  were  allowed  to 
use  the  name  of  Allfadir,  whom  they  had  invoked  in  the  prayers 
of  their  childhood,  when  praying  to  Him  who  is  our  Father  in 
Heaven. 

The  Icelandic  missionaries  had  peculiar  advantages  in  their 
relation  to  the  system  of  paganism  which  they  came  to  combat. 
Nowhere  else,  perhaps,  in  the  whole  history  of  Christianity,  has 
tlie  missionary  been  brought  face  to  face  with  a  race  of  gods 
who  were  believed  by  their  own  worshipers  to  be  doomed  to 
death.  The  missionaries  had  only  to  proclaim  that  Balder  wat* 
dead,  that  the  mighty  Odin  and  Thor  were  dead.  The  people 
knew  that  these  gods  were  to  die,  and  the  message  of  the  One 
Everliving  God  must  have  touched  their  ears  and  their  hearts 
with  comfort  and  joy.  Thus,  while  in  Germany  the  priests 
were  occupied  for  a  long  time  in  destroying  every  trace  of  hea- 
thenism, in  condemning  every  ancient  lay  as  the  work  of  the 
5 


50  MAX    MiJLLEK.  g 

devil,  in  felling  sacred  trees  and  abolishing  national  customs, 
the  missionaries  of  Iceland  were  able  to  take  a  more  charitable 
view  of  the  past,  and  they  became  the  keepers  of  those  very 
poems  and  laws  and  proverbs  and  Runic  inscriptions  which  on 
the  continent  had  to  be  put  down  with  inquisitorial  cruelty. 
The  men  to  whom  the  collection  of  the  ancient  pagan  poetry  of 
Iceland  is  commonly  ascribed  were  men  of  Christian  learning : 
the  one,*  the  founder  of  a  public  school ;  the  other.f  famous  as 
the  author  of  a  history  of  the  North,  the  Heimskringla  (the 
Home-Circle  —  the  World).  It  is  owing  to  their  labors  that  we 
know  anything  of  the  ancient  religion,  the  traditions,  the  max- 
ims, the  habits  of  the  Norsemen.  Dr.  Dasent  dwells  most  fully 
on  the  religious  system  of  Iceland,  which  is  the  same,  at  least 
in  its  general  outline,  as  that  believed  in  by  all  the  members  of 
the  Teutonic  family,  and  may  truly  be  called  one  of  the  various 
dialects  of  the  primitive  religioiis  and  mythological  language  of 
the  Aryan  race.  There  is  nothing  more  interesting  than  reli- 
gion in  the  whole  history  of  man.  By  its  side,  poetry  and  art, 
science  and  law,  sink  into  comparative  insignificance. 

♦Saemund  the  Wise.        tSnorre  Sturleson. 


CHAPTER  III. 


NORSE   MYTHOLOGY    COMPARED    WITH   THE   GREEK. 

DE.  DASEISTT  says  the  Norse  mythology  may  hold 
its  own  against  any  other  in  the  world.  The  fact 
that  it  is  the  religion  of  our  forefathers  ought  to  be 
enough  to  commend  it  to  our  attention;  but  it  may  be 
pardonable  in  us  to  harbor  even  a  sense  of  pride,  if  we 
find,  for  instance,  that  the  mythology  of  our  Gothic 
ancestors  sufiers  nothing,  but  I'ather  is  the  gainer  in 
many  respects  by  a  comparison  with  that  world-famed 
paganism  of  the  ancient  Gr reeks.  We  would  therefore 
invite  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  a  brief  comparison 
between  the  Norse  and  Greek  systems  of  mythology. 

A  comparison  between  the  two  systems  is  both  inter- 
esting and  important.  They  are  the  two  grandest  sys- 
tems of  cosmogony  and  theogony  of  which  we  have 
record,  but  the  reader  will  generously  pardon  the  writer 
if  he  ventures  the  statement  already  at  the  outset,  that 
of  the  two  the  Norse  system  is  the  grander.  These  two, 
the  Greek  and  the  Norse,  have,  to  a  greater  extent  than 
all  other  systems  of  mythology  combined,  influenced  the 
civilization,  determined  the  destinies,  socially  and  polit- 
ically, of  the  European  nations,  and  shaped  their  polite 
literature.  In  literature  it  might  indeed  seem  that  tlie 
Greek  mythology  has  played  a  more  important  part. 
We  admit  that  it  has  acted  a  more  conspicuous  part,  but 
we  imagine   that    there    exists  a  wonderful    blindness, 

(51) 


52        NOKSE  AND  GREEK  MYTHOLOGY  WIDELY  DIFFER. 

among  many  writers,  to  the  transcendent  influence  of 
the  blood  and  spirit  of  ancient  Norseland  on  North 
European,  including  English  and  American,  character, 
which  character  has  in  turn  stamped  itself  upon  our 
literature  (as,  for  instance,  in  the  case  of  Shakespeare, 
the  Thor  among  all  Teutonic  writers) ;  and,  furthermore, 
we  rejoice  in  the  absolute  certainty  to  which  we  have 
arrived  by  studying  the  signs  of  the  times,  that  the  com- 
parative ignorance,  which  has  prevailed  in  this  country 
and  in  England,  of  the  history,  literature,  ancient  religion 
and  institutions  of  a  people  so  closely  allied  to  us  by 
race,  national  characteristics,  and  tone  of  mind  as  the 
Norsemen,  will  sooner  or  later  be  removed ;  that  a  school 
of  Norse  philology  and  antiquities  will  ere  long  flourish 
on  the  soil  of  the  Vinland  of  our  ancestors,  and  that  there 
is  a  grand  future,  not  far  hence,  when  Norse  mythology 
will  be  copiously  reflected  in  our  elegant  literature,  and 
in  our  fine  arts,  painting,  sculpturing  and  music. 

The  Norse  mythology  differs  widely  from  the  Greek. 
They  are  the  same  in  essence ;  that  is  to  say,  both  are  a 
recognition  of  the  forces  and  phenomena  of  nature  as 
gods  and  demons;  but  all  mythologies  are  the  same  in 
this  respect,  and  the  difierences,  between  the  various 
mythological  systems,  consist  in  the  different  ways  in 
which  nature  has  impressed  different  peoples,  and  in  the 
different  manner  in  which  they  have  comprehended  the 
universe,  and  personified  or  deified  the  various  forces 
and  phenomena  of  nature.  In  other  words,  it  is  in  the 
ethical  clothing  and  elaboration  of  the  myths,  that  the 
different  systems  of  mythology  differ  one  from  the  other. 
In  the  Vedic  and  Homeric  poets  the  germs  of  mythology 
are  the  same  as  in  the  Eddas  of  Norseland,  but  this 
common  stock  of  materials,  that  is,  the  forces  and  phe- 
nomena of  nature,  has  been    moulded   into  an  infinite 


BALDER   AND    ADOJs'IS.  53 

variety  of  shajjes   by  the   story-tellers   of  the   Hindoos, 
Greeks  and  Norsemen. 

Memory  among  the  Greeks  is  Mnemosyne,  the  mother 
of  the  muses,  while  among  the  Norsemen  it  is  repre- 
sented by  Munin,  one  of  the  ravens  perched  upon  Odin's 
shoulders.  The  masculine  ^eimdal,  god  of  the  rainbow 
among  tlie  Norsemen,  we  find  in  Greece  as  the  feminine 
Iris,  who  charged  the  clouds  with  water  from  the  lakes 
and  rivers,  in  order-  that  it  might  fall  again  upon  the 
earth  in  gentle  fertilizing  showers.  She  was  daughter 
of  Thaumas  and  Elektra,  granddaughter  of  Okeanos, 
and  the  swift-footed  gold-winged  messenger  of  the  gods. 
The  Norse  Balder  is  the  Greek  Adonis.  Frigg,  the 
mother  of  Balder,  mourns  the  death  of  her  son,  while 
Aphrodite  sorrows  for  her  special  favorite,  the  young 
rosy  shepherd,  Adonis.  Her  grief  at  his  death,  which 
was  caused  by  a  wild  boar,  was  so  great  that  she  would 
not  allow  the  lifeless  body  to  be  taken  from  her  arms 
until  the  gods  consoled  her  by  decreeing  that  her  lover 
might  continue  to  live  half  the  year,  during  the  spring 
and  summer,  on  the  earth,  while  she  might  spend  the 
other  half  with  him  in  the  lower  world.  Thus  Balder  and 
Adonis  are  both  summer  gods,  and  Frigg  and  Aphrodite 
are  goddesses  of  gardens  and  flowers.  The  Norse  god 
of  Thunder,  Thor  (Thursday),  who,  among  the  Norse- 
men, is  only  the  protector  of  heaven  and  earth,  is  the 
Greek  Zeus,  the  father  of  gods  and  men.  The  gods  of 
the  Greeks  are  essentially  free  from  decay  and  death. 
They  live  forever  on  Olympos,  eating  ambrosial  food  and 
drinking  the  nectar  of  immortality,  while  in  their  veins 
flows  not  immortal  blood,  but  the  imperishable  ichor. 
In  the  Norse  mythology,  on  the  other  hand,  Odin  him- 
self dies,  and  is  swallowed  by  the  Fenriswolf ;  Thor  con- 
quers the  Midgard-serpent,  but  retreats  only  nine  paces 


54  GKEEK  GODS  FREE  FROM  DECAY. 

and  falls  poisoned  by  the  serpent's  breath ;  and  the  body 
of  the  good  and  beautiful  Balder  is  consumed  in  the 
flames  of  his  funeral  pile.  The  Greek  dwelt  in  bright 
and  sunny  lands,  where  the  change  from  summer  to 
winter  brought  with  it  no  feelings  of  overpowering 
gloom.  The  outward  nature  exercised  a  cheering  influ- 
ence upon  him,  making  him  happy,  and  this  happiness 
he  exhibited  in  his  mythology.  The  Greek  cared  less  to 
commune  with  the  silent  mountains,  moaning  winds, 
and  heaving  sea;  he  spent  his  life  to  a  great  extent  in 
the  cities,  where  his  mind  would  become  more  interested 
in  human  aflFairs,  and  where  he  could  share  his  joys  and 
sorrows  with  his  kinsmen.  While  the  Greek  thus  was 
brought  up  to  the  artificial  society  of  the  town,  the 
hardy  Norseman  was  inured  to  the  rugged  independence 
of  the  country.  While  the  life  and  the  nature  surround- 
ing it,  in  the  South,  would  naturally  have  a  tendency  to 
make  the  Greek  more  human,  or  rather  to  deify  that 
which  is  human,  the  popular  life  and  nature  in  the 
North  would  have  a  tendency  to  form  in  the  minds  of 
the  Norsemen  a  sublimer  and  profounder  conception  of 
the  universe.  The  Greek  clings  with  tenacity  to  the 
beautiful  earth ;  the  earth  is  his  mother.  Zeus,  sur- 
rounded by  his  gods  and  goddesses,  sits  on  his  golden 
throne,  on  Olympos,  on  the  top  of  the  mountain,  in  the 
cloud.  But  that  is  not  lofty  enougli  for  the  spirit  of 
the  Norsemen.  Odin's  Valhal  is  in  heaven ;  nay,  Odin  i 
himself  is  not  the  highest  god ;  Muspelheim  is  situated 
above  Asaheim,  and  in  Muspelheim  is  Gimle,  where 
reigns  a  god,  who  is  mightier  than  Odin,  the  god  whom 
Hyndla  ventures  not  to  name. 

In  Heroes  and  Hero  Worsliip,  Thomas  Carlyle  makes 
the  following  striking  comparison  between  Norse  and 
Greek   mythology :     To    me,   he    says,  there   is  in  the 


THE    DELUGE.  55 

Norse  system  something  very  genuine,  very  great  and 
manlike.  A  broad  simplicity,  rusticity,  so  very  different 
from  the  light  gracefulness  of  the  old  Greek  paganism, 
distinguishes  this  Norse  system.  It  is  thought,  the  gen- 
uine thought  of  deep,  rude,  earnest  minds,  fairly  opened 
to  the  things  about  them,  a  face-to-face  and  heart-to- 
heart  inspection  of  things —  the  first  characteristic  of  all 
good  thought  in  all  times.  Not  graceful  lightness,  half 
sport,  as  in  the  Greek  paganism ;  a  certain  homely 
truthfulness  and  rustic  strength,  a  great  rude  sincerity, 
discloses  itself  here.     Thus  Carlyle. 

As  the  visible  workings  of  nature  are  in  the  great 
and  main  features  the  same  everywhere;  in  all  climes 
we  find  the  vaulted  sky  with  its  sun,  moon,  myriad 
stars  and  flitting  clouds ;  the  sea  with  its  surging  bil- 
lows; the  land  with  its  manifold  species  of  plants  and 
animals,  its  elevations  and  depressions ;  we  find  cold, 
heat,  rain,  winds,  etc.,  although  all  these  may  vary  widely 
in  color,  brilliancy,  depth,  height,  degree,  and  other  qual- 
ities ;  and  as  the  minds  aud  hearts  of  men  cherish  hope, 
fear,  anxiety,  passion,  etc.,  although  they  may  be  influ- 
enced and  actuated  by  them  in  various  ways  and  to 
various  extents ;  and  as  mythology  is  the  impersonation 
of  nature's  forces  and  phenomena  as  contemplated  by  the 
human  mind  and  heart,  so  all  mythologies,  no  matter 
in  what  clime  they  originated  and  were  fostered,  must 
of  necessity  have  their  stock  of  materials,  their  ground- 
work or  foundation  and  frame  in  common,  while  they 
may  differ  widely  from  each  other  in  respect  to  peculiar 
characteristics,  both  in  the  ethical  elaboration  of  the 
myth  and  in  the  architectural  effect  of  the  tout  ejisemble. 
Thus  we  have  a  tradition  about  a  deluge,  for  instance, 
in  nearly  every  country  on  the  globe,  but  no  two  nations 
tell  it  alike.     In  Genesis  we  read  of  Noah  and  his  ark, 


56  NOT   THE    SAME    BUT   A    SIMILAR   TRADITION. 

and  how  the  waters  increased  greatly  upon  the  earth, 
destroying  all  flesh  that  moved  upon  the  earth  except- 
ing those  who  were  with  him  in  the  ark.  In  Greece, 
Deukalion  and  his  wife  Pyrrha  become  the  founders  of 
a  new  race  of  men.  According  to  the  Greek  story,  a  great 
flood  had  swept  away  the  whole  human  race,  except 
one  pair,  Deukalion  and  Pyrrha,  who,  as  the  flood 
abated,  landed  on  Mt.  Parnassos,  and  thence  descend- 
ing, picked  up  stones  and  cast  them  round  about,  as 
Zeus  had  commanded.  From  these  stones  sprung  a  new 
i-ace  —  men  from  those  cast  by  Deukalion,  and  women 
from  those  cast  by  his  wife.  In  Norseland,  Odin  and 
his  two  brothers,  Vile  and  Ve,  slew  the  giant  Ymer,  and 
when  he  fell,  so  much  blood  flowed  from  his  wounds, 
that  the  whole  race  of  frost-giants  was  drowned,  except 
a  single  giant,  who  saved  himself  with  his  household 
in  a  skiff  (ark),  and  from  him  descended  a  new  race  of 
frost-giants.  Now  this  is  not  a  tradition  carried  from 
one  place  to  the  other ;  it  is  a  natural  expression  of  the 
same  thought;  it  is  a  similar  effort  to  account  for  the 
origin  of  the  land  and  the  race  of  man.  A  people  devel- 
ops its  mythology  in  the  same  manner  as  it  develops  its 
language.  The  Norse  mythology  is  related  to  the  Greek 
mythology  to  the  same  extent  that  the  Norse  'language 
is  related  to  the  Greek  language,  and  no  more;  and 
comparative  mythology,  when  the  scholar  wields  the 
pen,  is  as  interesting  as  comparative  philology. 

The  Greeks  have  their  chaos,  the  all-embracing  space, 
the  Norsemen  have  Ginungagap,  the  yawning  abyss 
between  Niflheim  (the  nebulous  world)  and  Muspelheim 
(the  world  of  fire).  The  Greeks  have  their  titans,  cor- 
responding in  many  respects  to  the  Norse  giants.  The 
Greeks  tell  of  the  Melian  nymphs ;  the  Norsemen  of 
the  elves,  etc. ;  but  these   comparisons  are  chiefly  inter- 


THE   HARD    STONE    WEEPS   TEARS.  57 

esting  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the  diflferences  between 
the  Norse  and  Greek  mind,  which  reflects  itself  in  the 
expression  of  the  thought. 

The  hard  stone  weeps  tears,  both  in  Greece  and  in 
Norseland;  but  let  us  notice  how  differently  it  is 
expressed.  In  Greece,  Niobe,  robbed  of  her  children, 
was  transformed  into  a  rugged  rock,  down  which  tears 
trickled  silently.  She  becomes  a  stone  and  still  con- 
tinues her  weeping  — 

Et  lacrymas  etiamnum  marujora  manant, 

as  the  poet  somewhere  has  it.  In  Norseland  all  nature 
laments  the  sad  death  of  Balder,  even  the  stones  weep 
for  him  (grata  Baldr). 

Let  us  take  another  idea,  and  notice  how  diiferently 
the  words  symbolize  the  same  truth  or  thought  in 
Judea,  in  Greece,  and    in   Norseland.     In  Judea : 

And  Jesus  sat  over  against  the  treasury,  and  beheld  how 
people  cast  money  into  the  treasury:  and  many  that  were  rich 
cast  in  much.  And  there  came  a  certain  poor  widow,  and  she 
threw  in  two  mites,  which  make  a  farthing.  And  he  called  unto 
him  his  disciples  and  said  unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you, 
that  this  poor  widow  hath  cast  more  in,  than  all  they  which 
have  cast  into  the  treasury :  for  all  they  did  cast  in  of  their 
abundance  ;  but  she  of  her  want  did  cast  in  all  that  she  had, 
even  all  her   living. 

In    Greece : 

A  rich  Thessalian  offered  to  the  temple  at  Delphi  one 
hundred  oxen  with  golden  horns.  A  poor  citizen  from  Hermion 
took  as  much  meal  from  his  sack  as  he  could  hold  between  two 
fingers,  and  he  threw  it  into  the  fire  that  burned  on  the  altar. 
Pythia  said,  that  the  gift  of  the  poor  man  was  more  pleasing  to 
the  gods  than  that  of  the  rich  Thessalian. 

In  Norseland  the  Elder  Edda  has  it : 


58  THE   SEPARATE   GEOCP    EXQUISITE. 

Knowest  thou  how  to  pray? 
Knowest  thou  how  to  offer  ? 
Better  not  pray  at  all 
Than  to  offer  too  much. 
Better  is  nothing  sent 
Than  too  much  consumed. 

In  these  few  and  simple  words  are  couched  the 
same  thought  as  in  the  Jewish  and  Greek  parables  just 
given.  It  is  this  identity  in  thought,  with  diversity 
of  depth,  breadth,  beauty,  simplicity,  etc.,  in  the  expres- 
sion or  symbol  that  characterizes  the  differences  between 
all  mythological  systems.  Each  has  its  own  peculiari- 
ties stamped  upon  it,  and  in  these  peculiarities  the 
spirit  of  the  people,  their  tendency  to  thorough  investi- 
gation or  superficiality,  their  strength  or  weakness,  their 
profoundness   or   frivolity,  are   reflected   as  in  a  mirror. 

The  beauty  of  the  Greek  mythology  consists  not  so 
much  in  the  system,  considered  as  a  whole,  as  in  the 
separate  single  groups  of  myths.  Each  group  has  its 
own  centei'  around  which  it  revolves,  each  group  moves 
in  its  own  sphere,  and  there  develops  its  own  charming 
perfection,  without  regard  to  the  effect  upon  the  system 
of  mythology  considered  as  a  whole.  Each  group  is 
exquisite,  and  furnishes  an  inexhaustible  fountain  of 
legendary  narrative,  but  the  central  thought  that  should 
bind  all  these  beautiful  groups  into  one  grand  whole  is 
weak.  Nay,  the  complex  multiplicity  into  which  it 
constantly  kept  developing,  as  long  as  the  Greek  mind 
was  in  vigorous  activity,  was  the  cause  that  finally  shat- 
tered it.  Is  not  this  same  spirit,  which  we  find  so 
distinctly  developed  in  the  Gi'eek  mythology,  this  want 
of  a  centralizing  thought,  most  wonderfully  and  per- 
fectly reflected  in  the  social  and  political  characteristics 
of  the  Greek  states,  and  in  all  the  more  recent  Eo- 
munce    nations?       Each  Greek   state  developed  a  pecu- 


GREEK   MYTHOLOGY   AN   EPIC    POEM.  59 

liar  beauty  and  perfection  of  its  own;  but  between  the 
different  states  (Sparta,  Athens,  etc.,)  there  was  no 
strong  bond  of  union  which  could  keep  them  together, 
and  hence  all  the  feuds  and  civil  wars  and  final  disso- 
lution. In  the  Norse  mythology,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  centralizing  idea  or  thought  is  its  peculiar  feature; 
in  it  lies  its  strength  and  beauty.  In  the  Norse  my- 
thology, the  one  myth  and  the  one  divinity  is  inextri- 
cably in  communion  with  the  other ;  and  thus,  also, 
the  idea  of  unity,  centralization,  is  a  prominent  feature, 
and  one  of  the  chief  characteristics  of  the  Teutonic 
nations.  While  the  Greek  mythology  foreshadowed  all 
the  petty  states  of  Greece,  as  well  as  those  of  South 
Europe  and  South  America,  the  Norse  mythology  fore- 
shadowed the  political  and  social  destinies  of  united 
Scandinavia,  united  Great  Britain,  united  Germany,  and 
the  United  States  of  North  America.  When  the  Greeks 
unite,  they  fall.  We  Northerners  live  only  to  be  united. 
As  we  would  be  led  to  suppose,  from  a  study  of  the 
physical  and  climatical  peculiarities  of  Greece  and 
Norseland,  we  find  that  the  Greek  mythology  forms  an 
epic  poem,  and'  that  the  Norse  is  a  tragedy.  Not  only 
the  mythology,  considered  as  a  whole,  but  even  the 
character  of  its  speech,  and  of  its  very  words  and 
phrases,  must  necessarily  be  suggested  and  modified  by 
the  external  features  of  the  country.  Thus  in  Greece, 
where  the  sun's  rays  never  scorch,  and  where  the  north- 
ern winds  never  pierce,  we  naturally  find  in  the  speech 
of  the  people,  brilliancy  rather  than  gloom,  life  rather 
than  decay,  and  constant  renovation  rather  than  pro- 
longed lethargy.  But  in  the  frozen-bound  regions  of 
the  North,  where  the  long  arms  of  the  glaciers  clutch 
the  valleys  in  their  cold  embrace,  and  the  death-portend- 
ing avalanches  cut  their  way  down  the  mountain-sides. 


60  THEOKTONY. 

the  tongue  of  the  people  would,  with  a  peculiar  inten- 
sity of  feeling,  dwell  upon  the  tragedy  of  nature. 

The  Danish  poet  Grundtvig  expressed  a  similar  idea 
more  than  sixty  years  ago,  when  he  said  that  the  Asa- 
Faith  unfolds  in  five  acts  the  most  glorious  drama  of 
victory  that  ever  has  been  composed,  or  ever  could  be 
composed,  by  any  mortal  poet.  And  Hauch  defines 
these  five  acts  as  follows: 

Act  1.   The  Creation. 

Act  II.   The  time  preceding  the  death  of  Balder. 
Act  III.   The  death  of  Balder. 

Act  IV.   The  time  immediately  succeeding  the  death  of  Balder. 

Act  V.  RagDarok,  the  Twilight  of  the  gods,  that  is,  the  decline 

and  fall  immediately  followed  by  the  regeneration  of  the  world. 

It  is  an  inestimable  peculiarity  of  the  Norse  mythol- 
ogy, that  it,  in  addition  to  beginning  with  a  theogony 
(birth  of  the  gods),  also  ends  with  a  theoktony  (death 
of  the  gods).  In  the  Greek  mythology,  the  drama 
lacks  the  fifth  or  final  act,  and  we  have  only  a  prosaic 
account  of  how  the  people  at  length  grew  tired  of  their 
gods,  and  left  them  when  they  became  old  and  feeble. 
But  the  Eddas  have  a  theoktonic  myth,  in  which  the 
heroic  death  of  the  gods  is  sung  with  the  same  poetic 
spirit  as  their  youthful  exploits  and  victories.  As  the 
shades  of  night  flee  before  the  morning  dawn,  thus 
Valhal's  gods  had  to  sink  into  the  earth,  when  the 
idea,  that  an  idol  is  of  no  consequence  in  this  world, 
first  burst  upon  the  minds  of  the  idol-worshipers.  This 
idea  spontaneously  created  the  myth  of  Ragnarok.  All 
the  elements  of  its  mythical  form  were  foreshadowed  in 
the  older  group  of  Norse  conceptions.  The  idea  of 
Eagnarok  was  suggested  already  in  the  Creation ;  for 
the  gods  are  there  represented  as  proceeding  from  giants, 
that  is,  from  an  evil,  chaotic  source,  and,  moreover,  that 


THE    NORSE    YIELDS   THE    PRIZE   TO   THE    GREEK.       61 

which  can  be  born  must  die.  The  Greeks  did  not 
release  the  titans  from  their  prisons  in  Tartaros  and 
bring  them  up  to  enter  the  last  struggle  with  the  gods. 
Signs  of  such  a  contest  flitted  about  like  clouds  in  the 
deep-blue  southern  sky,  but  they  did  not  gather  into  a 
deluging  thunder-storm.  The  ideas  were  too  broken 
and  scattered  to  be  united  into  one  grand  picture. 
The  Gi'eek  was  so  much  allured  by  the  pleasures  of 
life,  that  he  could  find  no  time  to  fathom  its  depths 
or  rise  above  it.  And  hence,  when  the  glories  of  this 
life  had  vanished,  there  remained  nothing  but  a  vain 
shadow,  a  lower  world,  where  the  pale  ghosts  of  the 
dead  knew  no  greater  happiness  than  to  receive  tidings 
from  this  busy  world. 

The  Norseman  willingly  yields  the  prize  to  the  Greek 
when  the  question  is  of  precision  in  details  and  external 
adornment  of  the  figures;  but  when  we  speak  of  deep 
significance  and  intrinsic  power,  the  !N"orseman  points 
quietly  at  Eagnarok,  the  Twilight  of  the  gods,  and 
the  Greek  is  silent. 

The  Goth,  as  has  before  been  indicated,  concentrated 
life;  the  Greek  divided  it  into  parcels.  Thus  the 
Greek  mythology  is  frivolous,  the  Norse  is  profound. 
The  frivolous  mind  lives  but  to  enjoy  the  passing  mo- 
ment; the  profound  mind  reflects,  considers  the  past 
and  the  future.  The  Greek  abandoned  himself  wholly 
to  the  pleasures  of  this  life,  regardless  of  the  past 
or  future.  The  Norseman  accepted  life  as  a  good 
gift,  but  he  knew  that  he  was  merely  its  transient  pos- 
sessor. Over  every  moment  of  life  hangs  a  threatening 
sword,  which  may  in  the  next  moment  prove  fatal. 
Life  possesses  no  hour  of  the  future.  And  this  is  the 
peculiar  characteristic  of  the  heroic  life  in  the  North, 
that  our  ancestors  were  powerfully  impressed  with  the 


62  DEPTH    OF   NORSE    AND   CHRISTIAN   THOUGHT. 

uncertainty  of  life.  They  constantly  witnessed  the 
interchange  of  life  and  death,  and  this  nourished  in 
them  the  thought  that  life  is  not  worth  keeping,  for 
no  one  knows  how  soon  it  may  end.  Life  itself  has 
no  value,  but  the  object  constantly  to  be  held  in  view 
is  to  die  an  honorable  death.  While  we  are  permitted 
to  live,  let  us  strive  to  die  with  honor,  it  is  said  in 
Bjarkemaal;  and  in  the  lay  of  Hamder  of  the  Elder 
Edda  we  read: 

Well  have  we  fought; 

On  slaughtered  Goths  we  stand, 

On  those  fallen  by  the  sword, 

Like  eagles  on  a  branch. 

Great  glory  we  have  gained ; 

Though  now  or  to-morrow  we  shall  die, — 

No  one  lives  till  eve 

Against  the  norns'  decree. 

It  is  this  same  conception  of  the  problem  of  life 
that  in  the  Christian  religion  has  assumed  a  diviner 
form.  Though  his  ideas  were  clothed  in  a  ruder  form, 
the  Norseman  still  reached  the  same  depth  of  thought 
as  when  the  Christian  says:  I  am  ready  to  lay  down 
my  life,  if  I  may  but  die  happy,  die  a  child  of  God; 
for  what  is  a  man  profited  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul? 

The  Norseman  always  concentrated  his  ideas  as  much 
as  possible.  For  this  reason  he  knew  but  three  sins  — 
perjury,  murder,  and  adultery;  that  is,  sin  against  God, 
sin  against  the  state,  and  sin  against  fellow-man ;  and 
all  these  are  in  fact  but  one  sin  —  deceitfulness.  In 
the  same  manner  the  Norseman  concentrated  his  ideas 
in  regard  to  the  punishment  of  sin.  When  the  Eddas 
tell  us  about  the  punishment  of  the  wicked,  they  sum 
it  all  up  in  Naastrand  (the  strand  of  corpses),  that  place 


NAASTRAND.  63 

far  from  the  sun,  that  large  and  terrible  cave,  the  doors 
of  which  open  to  the  north.  This  cave  is  built  of 
serpents  wattled  together,  and  the  heads  of  all  the  ser- 
pents turn  into  the  cave,  filling  it  with  streams  of 
poison,  in  which  perjurers,  murderers  and  adulterers 
have  to  wade.  The  suffering  is  terrible;  gory  heart*s 
hang  outside  of  their  breasts;  their  faces  are  dyed  in 
blood;  strong  venom-dragons  fiercely  run  through  their 
hearts;  their  hands  are  riveted  together  with  ever- 
burning stones ;  their  clothes  are  wrapped  in  flames ; 
remorseless  ravens  tear  their  eyes  from  their  heads: 

But  all  the  horrors 

You  cannot  know, 

That  Hel's  condemned  endure ; 

Sweet  sins  there 

Bitterly  are  punished. 

False  pleasures 

Reap  true  pain. 

The  point  to  be  observed  is,  that  all  the  punish- 
ment here  described  is  the  same  for  all  the  wicked. 

But  with  this,  the  versatile  Greek  is  not  content. 
He  multiplies  the  sins  and  the  punishments.  Tartaros 
is  full  of  despair  and  tears,  and  the  wicked  there  suffer 
a  variety  of  tortures.  Enormous  vultures  continually 
gnaw  the  liver  of  Tityos,  but  it  always  grows  again. 
Ixion  is  lashed  with  serpents  to  a  wheel,  which  a 
strong  wind  drives  continually  round  and  round.  Tan- 
talos  sufiers  from  an  unceasing  dread  of  being  crushed 
by  a  great  rock  that  hangs  over  his  head;  he  stands  in 
a  stream  of  water  that  flows  up  to  his  throat,  and  he 
almost  perishes  from  thirst;  whenever  he  bends  his 
head  to  drink  the  water  recedes;  delicious  fruits  hang 
over  his  head,  whenever  he  stretches  out  his  hand  they 
evade   his   grasp.      Thus   it    is   to   be  tantalized.      The 


64        OUTWARD  NATURE  INFLUENCES  THE  MYTHOLOGY. 

Danaides  must  till  a  cistern  that  has  holes  in  the  bot- 
tom; all  the  water  they  pour  in  runs  out  equally  fast. 
Sisyphos,  sweating  and  all  out  of  breath,  rolls  his  huge 
stone  up  the  mountain  side;  when  he  reaches  the  sum- 
mit, the  stone  rolls  down  again. 

The  fundamental  idea  is  always  the  same.  It  is 
always  punishment  for  sin ;  but  it  is  expressed  and 
illustrated  in  so  many  different  ways.  The  variety 
enhances  the  beauty.  The  Greek  mythology  is  rich, 
for  profuseness  of  illustration  is  wealth.  The  Norse 
mythology  is  poor,  because  it  is  so  strong;  it  consumes 
all  its  strength  in  the  profoundness  of  its  thought. 
The  Norse  mythology  excels  in  the  concentratedness 
and  strength  of  the  whole  system;  the  Greek  excels  in 
the  beauty  of  the  separate  groups  of  myths.  The  one 
is  a  religion  of  strengtli,  the  other  of  ieauty. 

The  influence  that  the  outward  features  of  a  coun- 
try exercise  upon  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  men, 
especially  during  the  vigorous,  imaginative,  poetic  and 
prophetic  childhood  of  a  nation,  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated. Necessarily,  therefore,  do  we  find  this  influ- 
ence aflFecting  and  modifying  a  nation's  mythology, 
which  is  a  child-like  people's  thoughts  and  feelings, 
contemplating  nature  reflected  m  a  system  of  religion. 
Hence,  it  is  eminently  fitting,  in  comparing  the  Norse 
mythology  with  the  Greek,  to  take  a  look  at  the  home 
of  the  Norsemen.  We,  therefore,  cordially  invite  the 
traveler  from  the  smooth-beaten  tracks  of  southern  Eu- 
rope to  the  mountains,  lakes,  valleys  and  fjords  of 
Norseland.  You  may  come  in  midsummer,  when  Bal- 
der (the  summer  sunlight)  rules  supreme,  when  the 
radiant  dawn  and  glowing  sunset  kiss  each  other  and 
go  hand  in  hand  on  the  mountain  tops ;  but  we  would 
also  invite  you  to  tarry  until  Balder  is  slain,  when  the 


VISIT   NORSELAND.  65 

wintry  gloom,  with  its  long  nights,  sits  brooding  over 
the  country,  and  Loke  (Thok,  tire)  weeps  his  arid  tears 
(sparks)  over  the  desolation  he  has  wrought. 

Norway  is  dark,  cloudy,  severe,  grand,  and  majestic. 
Greece  is  light,  variegated,  mild,  and  beautiful.  No  one 
can  long  more  deeply  for  the  light  of  summer,  with  its 
mild  and  gentle  breezes  from  the  south,  than  the  Norse- 
man. When  he  has  pondered  on  his  own  thoughts  dur- 
ing the  long  winter,  when  the  sun  entirely  or  nearly 
disappeared  from  above  the  horizon,  and  nothing  but 
northern  lights  flickered  and  painted  the  colors  of  the 
rainbow  over  his  head,  he  welcomes  the  spring  sun  with 
enthusiastic  delight.  It  was  this  deep  longing  for  Balder 
that  drove  swarms  of  Norsemen  on  viking  expeditions 
to  France,  Spain,  and  England;  through  the  pillars  of 
Hercules  to  Italy,  Greece,  Constantinople  and  Palestine, 
and  over  the  surging  main  to  Iceland,  Greenland  and 
Vinland.  It  is  this  deep  longing  for  Balder  that  every 
year  brings  thousands  of  Norsemen  to  alight  upon  our 
shores  and  scatter  themselves  to  their  numberless  settle- 
ments in  these  United  States.  Still  every  Norse  emi- 
grant, if  he  has  aught  in  him  worthy  of  his  race, 
thinks  he  shall  once  more  see  those  weird,  gigantic, 
snow-capped  mountains,  that  stretched  their  tall  heads 
far  above  the  clouds  and  seemed  to  look  half  anxiously, 
half  angrily  after  him  as  his  bark  was  floating  across 
the  deep  sea. 

There  is  something  in  the  natural  scenery  of  Nor- 
way—  a  peculiar  blending  of  the  grand,  the  picturesque, 
the  gigantic,  bewildering  and  majestic.  There  is  some- 
thing that  leaves  you  in  bewildering  amazement,  when 
you  have  seen  it,  and  makes  you  ask  yourself,  Was  it 
real  or  was  it  only  a  dream  ?  Norway  is  in  fact  one 
huge  imposing  rock,  and  its  valleys  are  but  great  clefts 
6 


66  l^ORSE   SCENERY. 

in  it.  Through  these  clefts  the  rivers,  fed  by  vast  gla- 
ciers upon  the  mountains,  find  their  way  to  the  sea. 
They  come  from  the  distance,  now  musically  and  chat- 
tingly  meandering  their  way  beneath  the  willows,  now 
tumbling  down  the  slopes,  reeking  and  distorted  by  the 
rocks  that  oppose  them,  until  they  reach  some  awful 
precipice  and  tumble  down  some  eight  hundred  to  a 
thousand  feet  in  a  single  leap  into  the  depths  below, 
where  no  human  being  ever  yet  set  his  foot.  We  are 
not  overdrawing  the  picture.  You  cannot  get  to  the 
foot  of  such  falls  as  the  Voring  Force  or  Ejukan  Force, 
but  you  may  look  over  the  precipice  from  above  and  see 
the  waters  pouring  like  fine  and  fleecy  wool  into  the 
seething  caldron,  where  you  can  discern  through  the 
vapory  mists  shoots  of  foam  at  the  bottom,  like  rockets 
of  water,  radiating  in  every  direction.  You  hear  a  low 
rumbling  sound  around  you,  and  the  very  rock  vibrates 
beneath  your  feet;  and  as  you  hang  half  giddy  over 
the  cliff,  clasping  your  arms  around  some  young  birch- 
tree  that  tremblingly  leans  over  the  brink  of  the  steep, 
and  turn  your  eyes  to  the  huge  mountain  mass  that 
breasts  you, —  its  black,  melancholy  sides  seemingly 
within  a  stone's  throw,  and  its  snow-white  head  far  in 
the  clouds  above, —  your  thoughts  involuntarily  turn  to 
him,  the  God,  whom  the  skald  dare  not  name,  to  him 
at  whose  bidding  Gausta  Field  and  Eeeking  Force 
sprang  from  Ginungagap,  from  the  body  of  the  giant 
Ymer,  from  chaos.  You  look  longer  upon  this  won- 
derful scene,  and  you  begin  to  think  of  Ragnarok,  of 
the  Twilight  of  the  gods.  Once  seen,  and  the  grand 
picture,  which  defies  the  brush  of  the  painter,  will  for- 
ever afterwards  float  before  your  mind  like  a  dream. 

Make  a  journey  by  steamer  on  some  of   those  noble 
and  magnificent  fjords  on  the  west  coast  of  Norseland. 


NORSE    SCENERY.  67 

The  whole  scenery  looks  like  a  moving  panorama  of 
the  finest  description.  The  dark  mountains  rise  almost 
perpendicularly  from  the  water's  edge  to  an  enormous 
height;  their  summits,  crowned  with  ice  and  snow,  stand 
out  sharp  and  clear  against  the  bright  blue  sky ;  and 
the  ravines  on  the  mountain  tops  are  filled  with  huge 
glaciers,  that  clasp  their  frosty  arms  around  the  valley, 
and  send  down,  like  streams  of  tears  along  the  weather- 
beaten  cheeks  of  the  mountains,  numerous  waterfalls  and 
cascades,  falling  in  an  endless  variety  of  graceful  shapes 
from  various  altitudes  into  the  fjord  below.  Sometimes 
a  solitary  peak  lifts  its  lordly  head  a  thousand  feet 
clear  above  the  surrounding  mountains,  and  towering 
like  a  monarch  over  all,  it  defiantly  refuses  to  hold  com- 
munion with  any  living  thing  save  the  eagle.  Here  and 
there  a  force  apj)ears,  like  a  strip  of  silvery  fleecy  cloud, 
suspended  from  the  brow  of  the  mountain,  and  dashing 
down  more  than  two  thousand  feet  in  one  leap ;  and  all 
this  marvelously  grand  scenery,  from  base  to  peak, 
stands  reflected,  as  deep  as  it  is  lofty,  in  the  calm,  clear, 
sea-green  water  of  the  fjord,  perfect  as  in  a  mirror. 

There  is  no  storm ;  the  deep  water  of  the  fjord  is 
silent  and  at  rest.  Not  even  the  flight  of  a  single  bird 
ruflSes  its  glassy  surface.  As  the  steamer  glides  gently 
along  between  the  rocky  walls,  you  hear  no  sound  save 
the  monotonous  throbbing  of  the  screw  and  the  conse- 
quent splashing  of  the  water.  All  else  is  still  as  death. 
The  forces  hang  in  silence  all  around,  occasionally 
overarched  by  rainbows  suspended  in  the  rising  mist. 
The  naked  mountains  have  a  sombre  look,  that  would 
make  you  melancholy  were  it  not  for  the  overpowering 
grandeur.  Sunshine  reaches  the  water  only  when  the 
sun's  rays  fall  nearly  vertically,  in  consequence  of  the 
immense   height   of  the  mountains'  sides,   whose  enor- 


68  SIMPLE   AND    MARTIAL   RELIGION. 

mous  shadows  almost  perpetually  overshade  the  narrow 
fjord.  The  noouday  sun  paints  a  streak  of  delicate 
palish  green  on  one  side,  forming  a  striking  contrast 
to  the  other  dark  overshadowed  side  of  the  profound 
fjord.  It  is  awe-inspiring.  It  is  stupendous.  It  is  sol- 
emnly grand.  You  can  but  fancy  yourself  in  a  fairy 
land,  with  elves  and  sprites  and  neckens  and  trolls 
dancing  in  sportive  glee  all  around  you. 

Words  can  paint  no  adequate  picture  of  the  stu- 
pendousness,  majesty  and  grandeur  of  Norse  scenery; 
but  can  the  reader  wonder  any  longer  that  this  coun- 
try has  given  to  the  world  such  marvelous  productions 
in  poetry,  music  and  the  fine  arts  ?  Nay,  what  is  more 
to  our  purpose  at  present,  would  you  not  look  for  a  grand 
and  marvelous  mythological  system  from  the  poetic  and 
imaginative  childhood  of  the  nation  that  inhabits  this 
land  ?  Knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you  !  and 
entering  the  solemn  halls  and  palaces  of  the  gods, 
where  all  is  cordiality  and  purity,  you  will  find  there 
perfectly  reflected  the  wild  and  tumultuous  conflict  of 
the  elements,  strong  rustic  pictures,  full  of  earnest  and 
deep  thought,  awe-inspiring  and  wonderful.  You  will 
find  that  simple  and  martial  religion  which  inspired 
the  early  Norsemen  and  developed  them  like  a  tree  full 
of  vigor  extending  long  branches  over  all  Europe.  You 
will  find  that  simple  and  martial  religion  which  gave 
the  Norsemen  that  restless  unconquerable  spirit,  apt  to 
take  fire  at  the  very  mention  of  subjection  and  con- 
straint; that  religion  which  forged  the  instruments 
that  broke  the  fetters  manufactured  by  the  Eoman 
emperors,  destroyed  tyrants  and  slaves,  and  taught 
men  that  nature  having  made  all  free  and  equal,  no 
other  reason  but  their  mutual  happiness  could  be 
assigned  for  making  them  dependent.     You   will  find 


SINCEKITY    AND    GRACE.  69 

that  simple  and  martial  religion  which  was  cherished 
by  those  vast  multitudes  which,  as  Milton  says,  the 
populous  North 

poured  from  her  frozen  loins  to  pass 

Rhene  or  the  Danaw,  when  her  barbarous  sons 
Came  like  a  deluge  on  the  South  and  spread 
Beneath  Gibraltar  and  the  Libyan  sands. 

But  it  may  be  necessary  for  the  reader  to  refresh  him- 
self with  a  few  draughts  of  that  excellent  beverage  kept 
in  Mimer's  gushing  fountain,  and  drink  with  his  glit- 
tering horn,  before  he  will  be  willing  to  accept  these 
and  many  more  such  statements  that  we  will  make  in 
the  course  of  this  introduction. 

To  return  to  our  theme.  The  gods  of  Norseland 
are  stern  and  awe-inspiring;  those  of  Greece  are  gentle 
and  lovely.  In  the  Norse  mythology  we  find  deep  devo- 
tion, but  seldom  tears.  In  the  G-reek,  there  are  violent 
emotions  and  the  tears  flow  copiously.  In  Norseland, 
there  is  plenty  of  imagination ;  but  it  is  not  of  that 
light,  variegated,  butterfly,  soap-bubble  nature  as  in 
Greece.  In  the  Norse  mythology  there  is  plenty  of  cor- 
diality and  sincerity,  and  the  gods  treat  you  hospitably 
to  flesh  of  the  boar,  Sa3hrimner;  and  the  valkyries  will 
give  you  deep  draughts  from  bowls  flowing  with  ale. 
In  Greece  there  is  gracefulness,  a  perfect  etiquette,  and 
you  dine  on  ambrosia  and  nectar ;  there  Eros  and  Psyche, 
the  graces  and  muses,  hover  about  you  like  heavenly 
cherubs.  Graces  and  muses  are  wanting  in  Norseland, 
The  Norse  mythology  is  characterized  throughout  by  a 
deep  and  genuine  sincerity;  the  Greek,  on  the  other 
hand,  by  a  sublime  gracefulness;  but,  with  Carlyle,  we 
think  that  sincerity  is  better  than  grace. 

But  the  coniparison  between  Norse  and  Greek 
mythology  is  too  vast  a  field  for  us  to  attempt  to  do 


70  NORSE   AND    GREEK    MYTHOLOGY. 

justice  to  it  in  this  volume.  It  would  be  an  interest- 
ing work  to  show  how  Norse  and  Greek  mythologies 
respectively  have  colored  the  religious,  social,  political 
and  literary  character  of  Greek  and  Eomance  peoples 
on  the  one  hand,  and  Norsemen  and  Teutons  on  the 
other.  Somebody  will  undoubtedly  in  due  time  be 
inspired  to  undertake  such  a  task.  We  must  study 
both,  and  when  they  are  harmoniously  blended  in  our 
nature,  we  must  let  them  together  shape  our  political, 
social  and  literary  destinies,  and,  tempered  by  the 
Mosaic-Christian  religion,  they  may  be  entitled  to  some 
consideration  even  in  our  religious  life. 


CHAPTER  lY. 


ROMAN    MYTHOLOGY. 

IN  all  that  has  been  said  up  to  this  time  Koman 
mythology  has  not  once  been  mentioned.  Why 
not?  Properly  speaking,  there  is  no  such  thing.  It 
is  an  historical  fact,  that  nearly  the  whole  Roman 
literature,  especially  that  part  of  it  which  may  be  called 
belles-lettres,  is  scarcely  anything  but  imitation.  It 
did  not,  like  the  Greek  and  Old  Norse,  spring  from  the 
popular  mind,  by  which  it  was  cherished  through 
centuries ;  but  at  least  a  large  portion  of  it  was 
produced  for  pay  and  for  ornament,  mostly  in  the  time 
of  the  tyrant  x\ugustus,  to  tickle  his  ear  and  gild  those 
chains  that  were  artfully  forged  to  fetter  the  peoples  of 
southern  Europe.  This  is  a  dry  but  stubborn  truth, 
and  it  is  wonderful  with  what  tenacity  the  schools  in 
all  civilized  lands  have  clung  to  the  Roman  or  Latin 
language,  after  it  had  become  nothing  but  a  mere 
corpse ;  as  though  it  could  be  expected  that  any 
genuine  culture  could  be  derived  from  this  dead 
monster. 

It  is,  however,  an  encouraging  fact  that  the  Teutonic 
races  are  indicating  a  tendency  to  emancipate  them- 
selves from  the  fetters  of  Roman  bondage,  and  happy 
should  we  be  if  our  English  words  were  emancipated 
therefrom.  We  should  then  use  neither  emancipate,  nor 
tendency,  nor  indicate,  but  would  have  enough  of 
Gothic  words  to  use  in  place  of  them.      Ay,  the  signs 

(71) 


72  OXFORD    AND    CAMBRIDGE. 

of  the  times  are  encouragiug.  Look  at  what  is  being 
done  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  in  London  and  in 
Edinburgh.  Behold  what  has  been  done  during  these 
later  years  by  Dasent,  Samuel  Laing,  Thorpe,  Carlyle, 
Max  Miiller,  Cleasby,  Vigfusson,  Magniisson,  Morris, 
Hjaltalin,  and  others.  And  look  at  the  publications  of 
the  Clarendon  press,  which  is  now  publishing  Icelandic 
Sagas  in  the  original  text.  This  is  right.  Every 
scrap  of  Icelandic  and  Anglo-Saxon  literature  must 
be  published,  for  we  must  see  what  those  old  heroes, 
who  crushed  Rome  and  instituted  a  new  order  of 
things,  thought  in  every  direction.  We  must  find  out 
what  their  aspirations  were.  To  the  credit  of  the 
Scandinavians  it  must  here  be  said,  that  they  began  to 
appreciate  their  old  Icelandic  literature  much  sooner 
than  the  rich  Englishman  realized  the  value  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon,  and  that  the  English  are  indebted  to 
Rasmus  Rask,  the  Danish  scholar,  for  the  most  valuable 
contribution  to  Anglo-Saxon  studies;  but  it  must  also 
be  admitted,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  Scandinavians 
have  done  far  too  little  for  Icelandic,  and,  in  the  next 
place,  that  without  a  preparation  in  Icelandic,  but  little 
progress  could  be  made  in  the  study  of  Anglo-Saxon. 
But  England,  with  its  usual  liberality  in  literary 
matters,  is  now  rapidly  making  amends  for  the  past. 
And  well  she  might.  In  the  publication  of  the 
Icelandic  and  Anglo-Saxon  literature  she  is  the  greatest 
gainer,  for  it  is  nothing  less  than  a  bridge,  that  will 
unite  her  present  and  past  history.  Maurer  and 
Mobius  are  watching  with  Argos  eyes  the  interests  of 
Teutonic  studies  in  Germany. 

Greek  should  be  studied,  for  that  is  no  imitation. 
It  is  indigenous.  It  is  a  crystal  clear  stream  flowing 
unadulterated  from  the  Castalian  fountain  of  Parnassos. 


THE    ROMANS   WERE    ROBBERS.  73 

Our  warfare^  therefore,  is  not  against  Greek,  but  against 
Latin.  We  have  suffered  long  enough  with  our  necks 
under  the  ponderous  Roman  yoke  in  all  its  various 
forms ;  take  it  as  fetters  forged  by  the  Roman  emperors, 
as  crosiers  in  the  hands  of  the  Roman  popes,  or  as 
rods  in  the  hands  of  the  Roman  school-masters.  The 
Goths  severed  the  fetters  of  the  Roman  emperors, 
Luther  and  the  Germans  broke  the  crosiers  of  the 
Roman  popes,  but  all  the  Teutons  have  submissively 
kissed  the  rod  of  the  Roman  school-master,  although 
this  was  the  most  dangerous  of  the  three :  it  was  the 
deadly  weapon  concealed  in  the  hand  of  tlie  assassin. 

The  Romans  were  a  people  of  robbers  both  in  a 
political  and  in  a  literary  sense.  Nay,  the  Roman  writ- 
ers themselves  tell  us  that  the  divine  founder  of  the 
city,  Romulus,  was  a  captain  of  robbers;  that  Mars, 
the  god  of  war,  was  his  father ;  and  that  a  tvolf  (rapa- 
city), descending  from  the  mountains  to  drink,  ran  at 
the  cry  of  the  child  and  fed  him  under  a  fig-tree, 
caressing  and  licking  him  as  if  he  had  been  her  own 
son,  the  infant  hanging  on  to  her  as  if  she  had  been 
his  mother.  This  Romulus  began  his  great  exploits  by 
killing  his  own  brother.  When  the  new  city  seemed 
to  want  women,  to  insure  its  duration,  he  proclaimed 
a  magnificent  feast  throughout  all  the  neighboring  vil- 
lages, at  which  feast  were  presented,  among  other  things, 
the  terrible  shows  of  gladiators.  While  the  strangers 
were  most  intent  upon  the  spectacle,  a  number  of  Ro- 
man youths  rushed  in  among  the  Sabines,  seized  the 
youngest  and  fairest  of  their  wives  and  daughters,  and 
carried  them  off  by  violence.  In  vain  the  parents  and 
husbands  protested  against  this  breach  of  hospitality. 
This  same  Romulus  ended  his  heroic  career  by  being 
assassinated  by  his  friends,  or,  as  others  say,  torn  in 
7 


7-4      WE  MUST  NOT  THROW  LATIN"  WHOLLY  OVERBOARD. 

2)ieces  in  the  senate-house.  Certain  it  is  that  the  Ro- 
mans murdered  him,  and  then  declared  him  the  guard- 
ian spirit  of  the  city ;  thus  worshiping  as  a  god,  by 
name  Quirinus,  him  whom  they  could  not  bear  as  a 
king.  Such  falsehoods  as  the  one  the  senate  invented, 
when  they  said  that  Romulus,  whom  they  had  mur- 
dered, had  been  taken  up  into  heaven,  the  Roman 
writers  tell  us  were  constantly  taught  to  the  Romans 
by  Numa  Pompilius,  and  by  other  Sabine  and  Etrurian 
priests;  and  such  instruction  laid  the  foundation  of 
their  myths.  The  history  of  Romulus  is,  in  fact,  in 
miniature,  the  history  of  Rome. 

But  in  spite  of  this,  and  much  else  that  can  in  justice 
be  said  against  Rome  and  Latin,  we  cannot  afford  to 
throw  the  language  and  literature  of  the  Romans  en- 
tirely overboard.  Their  history  was  too  remarkable  for 
that;  besides,  many  scribbled  in  Latin  dowai  through 
the  middle  ages,  and  the  Latin  language  has  played  so 
conspicuous  a  part  in  English  literature,  and  in  the 
sciences,  that  no  educated  man  can  very  well  do  with- 
out it.  What  we  respectfully  object  to  is  making  it 
the  foundation  of  all  education,  this  bringing  the  scholar 
iqj,  so  to  speak,  on  Latin  language,  history  and  litera- 
ture; this  nourishing  and  moulding  the  tender  heart 
and  mind  on  Roman  tJioiight, —  thus  making  the  man, 
intellectually  and  morally,  a  slave  bound  in  Roman 
chains,  while  we  free-born  Goths,  the  descendants  of 
Odin  and  Thor,  ought  to  begin  our  education  and 
receive  our  first  impressions  from  our  own  ancestors. 
The  tree  should  draw  its  nourishment  from  its  own 
roots;  and  we  Americans  are  the  youngest  and  most 
vigorous  branch  of  that  glorious  Gothic  tree,  the  beau- 
tiful and  noble  Ygdrasil  in  the  Norse  cosmogony,  whose 
three  grand  roots  strike  down  among  the  Anglo-Saxons, 


WE  MUST  STUDY  ENGLISH  AND  ANGLO-SAXON.  75 

Scandinaviaus,  aud  Germans.  In  order  fully  to  com- 
prehend the  man,  we  must  study  the  life  of  the  child ; 
and  in  order  to  comprehend  ourselves  as  a  people,  we 
must  study  our  own  ancient  history  and  literature  and 
make  ourselves  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  imagi- 
native and  prophetic  childhood  of  the  Teutonic  race. 
We  must  give  far  more  attention  than  we  do,  first,  to 
English  and  Anglo-Saxon,  and  we  must,  as  we  have 
heard  Dr.  S.  H.  Carpenter,  of  the  University  of  Wis- 
consin, most  truthfully  remark,  begin  with  the  most 
modern  English,  and  then  follow  it  step  by  step,  cen- 
tury by  century,  back  to  the  most  ancient  Anglo-Saxon. 
A  living  language  can  be  learned  ten  times  as  fast  as  a 
dead  one,  and  we  would  apply  Dr.  Carpenters*  princi- 
ple still  further.  We  would  make  one  of  the  living 
Romanic  languages  (French,  Italian,  or  Spanish,)  a  key 
to  the  Latin ;  and  above  all,  W£  would  make  modern 
Greek  a  preparation  for  old  classic  Greek.  It  cannot 
be  controverted  that  children  learn  to  read  and  write  a 
language  much  sooner  and  easier  if  they  first  learn  to 
speak  it,  even  though  the  book-speech  may  differ  con- 
siderably from  the  dialect  which  the  child  learned  from 
his  mother ;  ample  evidence  of  which  fact  may  be  found 
in  the  different  counties  of  England  and  Scotland  and 
throughout  the  European  countries. 

In  the  next  place,  that  is,  next  after  English  and 
Anglo-Saxon,  we  must  study  German,  Ma?so-Gothic  and 
the  Scandinavian  languages,  and  especially  Icelandic, 
whicli  is  the  only  living  key  to  the  history  of  the  mid- 
dle ages,  and  to  the  Old  Norse  literature.  It  is  the  only 
language  now  in  use  in  an  almost  unchanged  form, 
through  a  knowledge  of  which  we  can  read  the  litera- 

*  Author  of  EngHafi  of  the  Fourteenth  Century  anOi  of  An  Introduction  to 
the  Study  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  Language. 


76  ENGLISH    MOKE   TERSE   THAN    LATIX. 

ture  of  the  middle  ages.  We  must  by  no  means  forget 
that  we  have  Teutonic  antiquities  to  which  we  stand 
in  an  entirely  different  and  far  closer  relation  than  we 
do  to  Greece  or  Eome.  And  the  Norsemen  have  an  old 
literature,  which  the  scholar  must  of  necessity  be  famil- 
iar with  in  order  to  comprehend  the  history  of  the 
middle  ages. 

When  we  have  thus  done  justice  to  our  own  Teu- 
tonic race  we  may  turn  our  attention  to  the  ancient 
peoples  around  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  the  most  impor- 
tant of  which  in  literary  and  historical  respects  are  the 
Hebrews,  Greeks  and  Romans.  The  antiquities  of  these 
peoples  will  always  form  important  departments  in  our 
colleges  and  universities,  and  it  is  our  duty  to  study 
them ;  but  they  should  not,  as  they  still  to  a  great 
extent  do,  constitute  the  all-absorbing  subject  of  our 
attention,  the  sumnia  sunwmrum,  the  foundation  and 
superstructure  of  our  education  and  culture. 

It  has  been  argued  by  some  that  the  Latin  is 
more  terse  than  English  ;  but  did  the  reader  ever  reflect 
that  it  takes  about  sixty  syllables  in  Latin  to  express 
all  that  we  can  say  in  English  with  foiiy  syllaUes  9 
The  large  number  of  inflectional  endings  have  also  been 
lauded  as  a  point  of  superior  excellence  in  the  Latin; 
but  as  a  language  groivs  and  makes  progress,  it  grad- 
ually emancipates  itself  from  the  thraldom  of  inflection 
and  contents  itself  with  the  abstract,  spiritual  chain 
that  links  the  words  together  into  sentences ;  and 
did  the  reader  ever  run  across  this  significant  truth, 
expressed  by  George  P.  Marsh,  who  says  that  in 
Latin  you  have  to  be  able  to  analyse  and  parse  a 
sentence  before  you  can  comprehend  it,  while  in  Eng- 
lish you  must  comprehend  the  sentence  before  you 
can    analyse    or    parse  ?     Forward  has  been    and    will 


GREEK    PREFERABLE   TO   HEBREW   OR    LATIN".  77 

forever  be  tlie  watchword  of  languages.  They  must 
either  progress   or   die. 

When  the  question  is  asked,  whether  Hebrew,  Greek 
or  Latin  should  be  preferred  by  the  student,  we 
answer  that  the  choice  is  not  a  difficult  one  to  make, 
and  our  opinion  has  in  fact  already  been  given.  Latin 
is  the  language  of  a  race  of  robbers ;  most  of  it  is 
nothing  but  imitation,  and  besides  it  is  a  mere  corpse, 
while  Greek  is  the  only  one  of  the  three  that  is 
still  living,  and  modern  Greek  —  for  that  is  what  we 
must  begin  with  —  is  the  key  to  the  old  Greek  liter- 
ature with  its  rich,  beautiful  and  original  store  of  my- 
thology, poetry,  history,  oratory,  and  philosophy.  As 
Icelandic  in  the  extreme  north  of  Europe  is  the  living 
key  to  the  middle  ages  and  to  the  celebrated  Old 
Norse  Eddas  and  Sagas,  so  modern  Greek  in  the  far 
south  is  the  living  language,  that  introduces  us  to  the 
spirit  of  Homer,  Herodotus,  Demosthenes,  and  Plato ; 
and  thus  the  norns  or  fates,  who  preside  over  the 
destinies  of  men  and  nations,  have  in  a  most  won- 
derful manner  knit,  or  rather  woven,  us  together  with 
the  Greeks,  and  the  more  we  investigate  the  develop- 
ment and  progress  of  nations  and  civilization,  the 
more  vividly  the  truth  will  flash  upon  our  minds, 
that  the  Greek  and  the  Icelandic  are  two  silver-haired 
veterans,  who  hold  in  their  hands  two  golden  keys, — 
the  one  to  unlock  the  treasures  of  ancient  times,  the 
other  those  of  the  middle  ages ;  the  one  the  treasures 
of  the  south  and  the  other  those  of  the  north  of 
Europe.  But  we  must  free  ourselves  from  the  bondage 
of  Rome ! 

When  we  get  away  from  Rome,  where  slaves  were 
employed  as  teachers,  and  pay  more  attention  to  the 
antiquities  of  Greece,  where  it  was  the   highest  honor 


78  SHAKESPEARE. 

that  the  greatest,  noblest  and  most  eloquent  men  cbuld 
attain  to,  to  be  listened  to  by  youths  eager  to  learn 
and  to  be  taught,  then  the  present  slavery  both  of  the 
teacher  and  of  the  student  will  cease,  but  scarcely  before 
then. 

The  case  of  Shakespeare  is  an  eminent  example  to  us 
of  what  the  Gotli  is  able  to  accomplish,  when  he  breaks 
the  Roman  chains.  His  works  are  not  an  imitation  of 
Seneca  or  ^-Eschylus,  nor  are  they  the  fruit  of  a  careful 
study  of  the  Ars  Poetica  or  Grachis  ad  Parnassuni.  No, 
he  knew  but  little  Latin  and  less  Greek,  but  what  made 
him  the  undisputed  Hercules  in  English  literature  was 
the  heroic  spirit  of  Gothdom  which  flowed  in  his  veins, 
and  which  drove  him  away  from  the  Lathi  school  before 
his  emotional  nature  had  been  flogged  and  tortured  out 
of  him.  Shakespeare,  and  not  Roman  literature  and 
scholasticism,  is  the  lever  that  has  raised  English  litera- 
ture and  given  it  the  first  rank  among  all  the  Teutons. 
It  is  not,  we  repeat,  the  deluge  of  Latin  words  that  flood 
it,  that  has  given  this  preeminence  to  English,  but  it  is 
the  genuine  Gothic  strength  that  everywhere  has  tried  to 
break  down  the  Roman  walls.  The  slaves  of  Latin  will 
find  it  difficult  enough  to  explain  how  Shakespeare,  who 
was  not  for  an  age,  but  for  all  time, —  he  whose  Latin  was 
small  and  whose  Greek  was  less, —  how  he,  the  star  of 
l^oets,  the  sweet  swan  of  Avon,  was  made  as  well  as  born. 
Ay,  he  was  made.  He  was  also  one  of  those  who,  to  cast 
a  living  line  had  to  sweat,  and  strike  the  second  heat  upon 
the  Muses'  anvil.  It  is  true  that  Shakespeare  did  not 
arrive  at  a  full  appreciation  of  the  Gothic  spirit,  for  he 
did  not  have  an  opportunity  to  acquaint  himself  thor- 
oughly with  the  Gothic  myths;  but  then  they  ever 
haunted  him  like   the  ghost  of  Hamlet,  accusing  their 


HE   WHO    IS    NOT   A    SON    OF   THOK.  79 

murderer,  without  finding  any  avenger.  We  therefore 
count  Shakespeare  on  our  side  of  this  great  question. 

May  the  time  speedily  come,  nay,  the  time  must  come, 
when  Greek  and  Anglo-Saxon  and  Old  Norse  and  Gothic 
and  German  will  shake  hands  over  the  bloody  chasm  of 
Eoman  vandalism! 

We  fancy  we  see  more  than  one  who  reads  this  chap- 
ter, and  does  not  remember  that  he  is  a  son  of  Thor, 
stretch  out  his  hand  for  Mjolner,  that  huge  and  mighty 
hammer  of  Thor,  to  swing  it  at  us  for  what  Ave  have  said 
and  have  not  said  about  Eome,  Roman  mythology,  and 
the  Latin  language  and  literature;  but,  alas!  for  him, 
and  fortunately  for  us,  the  Roman  school-master  took 
Thor's  hammer  away  from  him  and  whipped  the  strength 
wherewith  to  wield  it  out  of  him.  We  only  repeat  that 
we  know  nothing  of  Roman  mythology,  but  the  Greek 
and  Norse  are  twin  sisters,  and  with  the  assistance  of  the 
Mosaic-Christian  religion  they  have  a  grand  mission  in 
the  Gothic-Greek  development  of  the  world. 


CHAPTER  V. 


INTERPRETATION    OF    NORSE    MYTHOLOGY. 

CONSIDERABLE  has  been  said  on  this  subject  in 
the  preceding  pages,  and  the  interpretation  which 
will  be  adhered  to  in  this  volume  has  been  clearly  indi- 
cated. We  propose  now  to  give  a  general  synopsis  of 
the  more  prominent  methods  of  interpreting  Norse  my- 
thology. 

In  one  thing  all  undoubtedly  agree,  namely,  that 
all  mythologies  embody  religious  faith.  As  we,  even 
to  this  day,  each  in  his  own  way,  seek  to  find  God  by 
philosophical  speculation  (natural  theology),  by  our  emo- 
tions, by  good  deeds,  or  by  all  these  at  one  time;  and 
as  we,  when  we  have  found  him,  rest  upon  his  breast, 
although  we  do  not  fully  agree  as  to  our  conception  of 
him,  each  one  of  us  having  his  own  God  as  each  has 
his  own  rainbow ;  thus  our  forefathers  sought  God  every- 
where—  in  the  rocks,  in  the  babbling  stream,  in  the 
heavy  ear  of  grain,  in  the  star-strewn  sky  of  night,  and 
in  the  splendor  of  the  sun.  It  was  revelations  of 
divinity  that  they  looked  for.  The  fundamental  element 
in  their  mythology  was  a  religious  one,  and  this  fact 
must  never  be  lost  sight  of.  To  interpret  a  myth, 
then,  is  not  only  to  give  its  source,  but  also  its  aim 
and  object,  together  with  the  thoughts  and  feelings 
that  it  awakens  in  the  human  breast. 

Some  writers  (William  and  Mary  Howitt  and  others) 
maintain  that  the  Norse  mythology  is  a  degradation  of, 

(80) 


ABERRATION    FROM   THE   TRUE   RELIGION.  81 

or  aberration  from,  the  true  religion,  which  was  revealed 
to  man  in  the  earliest  period  of  the  history  of  the  human 
race  and  is  found  pure  and  undefiled  in  the  Bible; 
that  it  presents  sparkling  waters  from  the  original  fount- 
ain of  tradition.  They  j)oint  with  seriousness  to  it  as 
something  that  bears  us  on  toward  the  primal  period 
of  one  tongue  and  one  religion.  In  reference  to  the 
Elder  Edda,  they  say  that  it  descended  through  vast 
ages,  growing,  like  all  traditions,  continually  darker, 
and  accumulating  lower  matter  and  more  divergent  and 
more  pagan  doctrines,  as  the  walls  of  old  castles  become 
covered  with  mosses  and  lichens,  till  it  finally  assumed 
the  form  in  which  it  was  collected  from  the  mouths 
of  the  people,  and  put  in  a  permanent  written  form. 
These  interpreters  claim  that  through  all  mythologies 
there  run  certain  great  lines,  which  converge  toward 
one  common  center  and  point  to  an  original  source  of 
a  religious  faith,  which  has  grown  dimmer  and  more 
disfigured,  the  further  it  has  gone.  The  geographical 
center,  they  say,  from  which  all  these  systems  of  heathen 
belief  have  proceeded  is  the  same — Central  Asia;  they 
point  to  the  eastern  origin  of  the  Norseman ;  they  assert, 
with  full  confidence,  that  the  religious  creed  of  the  ISTorse- 
man  is  the  faith  of  Persia,  India,  G-reece,  and  every  other 
country,  transferred  to  the  snow-capped  mountains  of 
Norway  and  jokuls  of  Iceland,  having  only  been  modified 
there,  so  as  to  give  it  an  air  of  originality  without  de- 
stroying its  primeval  features.  They  argue  that  Loke 
of  the  Norsemen,  Pluto  of  the  Greeks,  Ahriman  of  the 
Persians,  Siva  of  the  Hindoos,  etc.,  are  all  originally  the 
devil  of  the  Bible,  who  has  changed  his  name  and  more 
or  less  his  personal  form  and  characteristics.  The 
biblical  Trinity  is  degenerated  into  the  threefold  trinity 
of  Odin,  Vile,  and  Ve;   Odin,  Hoener,  and  Loder;  and 


82  HISTOEICAL    INTERPRETATION. 

Odin,  Thor,  and  Balder.  They  find  in  the  Norse  cos- 
mogony, in  a  somewhat  mutilated  and  interpolated  con- 
dition, the  Scripture  theory  of  the  creation,  preservation, 
destruction  and  regeneration  of  the  world.  Ygdrasil 
is  the  tree  of  life  in  the  garden  of  Eden ;  Ask  and 
Embla,  the  first  human  pair,  are  Adam  and  Eve;  the 
blood  of  the  slain  giant  Ymer,  in  which  the  whole  race 
of  frost-giants  was  drowned,  (excepting  one  pan-,  who 
were  saved,  and  from  whom  a  new  giant  race  descended,) 
is  the  flood  of  Noah,  the  deluge ;  the  citadel  called  Mid- 
gard  is  the  tower  of  Babel ;  in  the  death  of  Balder,  by 
Hoder,  who  was  instigated  by  Loke,  they  find  the  cruci- 
fixion of  Christ  by  Judas,  instigated  by  the  devil,  etc.  j 
displaying  a  vast  amount  of  erudition,  profoundness  and 
ingenuity,  that  might  have  been  applied  to  some  good 
purpose.  We  refrain  from  giving  more  of  the  results 
of  their  learned  and  erudite  investigations,  from  fear 
of  seducing  ourselves  or  our  readers  into  the  adoption 
of  their  absurdities. 

Other  scholars  (Snorre  Sturleson,  Saxo  Grammaticus, 
Suhm,  Rask,  and  others,)  give  us  what  is  called  an  his- 
torical interpretation,  asserting  that  Odin,  Thor,  Balder, 
and  the  other  deities  that  figure  in  the  Norse  mythology, 
are  veritable  ancestors  of  the  Noi'semen, —  men  and 
women  who  have  lived  in  the  remote  past;  and  as  dis- 
tance lends  enchantment  to  the  view,  so  the  ordinary 
kings  and  priests  of  pre-historic  times  have  been  magnified 
into  gods.  Odin  and  the  other  divinities  are  in  Snorre 
Sturleson's  Heimskringla  represented  as  having  come  to 
Norseland  from  the  great  Svithiod,  a  country  lying  be- 
tween the  Black  Sea  and  the  Caspian  Sea.  According  to 
the  historical  interpretation  the  mythical  worlds  are  real 
countries  that  can  be  pointed  out  on  the  map.  This  was 
the  prevailing  view  taken  during  the  last  two  centuries, 


HISTORICAL    INTERPRETATION.  83 

and  even  that  sagacious  scholar  of  the  earlier  part  of  this 
century,  Professor  Easmns  Rask,  adheres  almost  exclu- 
sively to  the  historical  interpretation. 

It  is  curious  to  read  these  old  authors  and  observe 
how  sincerely  they  have  looked  upon  Odin  as  an  extra- 
ordinary and  enterprising  person  who  formerly  ruled  in 
the  North  and  inaugurated  great  changes  in  the  govern- 
ment, customs  and  religion  of  Norway,  Sweden,  and 
Denmark.  They  speak  of  the  great  authority  which  he 
enjoyed,  and  how  he  even  had  divine  honors  paid  to  him. 
They  ingeniously  connect  Odin  with  the  Roman  Com- 
monwealth, with  Mithridates  and  Pompey  (see  p.  232). 
This  historical  sketch  of  Odin  will  be  given  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Odinic  myth ;  suffice  it  here  to  say  that  the 
king  of  Pontus  and  all  his  barbarian  allies  were  obliged 
to  yield  to  the  genius  of  Pompey.  And  here  it  is  said 
that  Odin  was  one  of  the  number  defeated  by  Pompey. 
He  was  obliged  to  withdraw  himself  by  flight  from  the 
vengeance  of  the  Romans !  Odin  came  to  Norway  by  way 
of  Holstein  and  Jutland.  On  his  way  through  Denmark 
he  founded  the  city  Odinse,  and  placed  his  son  Skjold 
upon  the  Danish  throne.  How  profound!  What  eru- 
dition! How  much  like  the  enthusiastic  work  of  the 
Swede  Rudbeck,  who  makes  out  the  Atlantis  of  Plato  to 
be  Sweden,  and  shows  that  Japhet,  son  of  Noah,  came 
there  and  settled  with  his  family !  What  profound  learn- 
ing [gelahrtlieit)  these  men  must  have  possessed !  We  are 
amazed  and  confounded  at  the  vast  amount  of  mental 
force  that  has  been  brought  into  activity,  at  the  untiring 
zeal  and  the  marvelous  ingenuity,  with  which  these  theo- 
ries have  been  set  up;  but  we  cannot  witness  all  this 
without  a  feeling  of  deep  regret  that  so  much  erudition 
and  ingenuity,  so  much  mental  strength,  was  so  fruit- 
lessly thrown  away.    They  were  generally  profound  Latin 


84  ETHICAL    INTERPRETATION". 

scholars,  and  wrote  the  raost  of  their  books  in  Latin ;  but 
those  ponderous  tomes  make  their  authors  fools  in  folios 
in  the  light  of  modern  historical  knowledge.  They  studied 
by  that  kind  of  lamp  that  illuminates  a  small  spot  on  the 
table,  but  leaves  the  whole  room  dark.  A  more  careful 
and  enlightened  study  of  our  early  literature  has  of  course 
given  the  death-blow  to  so  prosaic  an  interpretation  of  the 
Norse  mythology  as  tlie  purely  historical  one  is. 

Then  we  are  met  by  the  so-called  etliical  interpretation 
of  mythology,  seeking  its  origin  in  man's  peculiar  nature, 
especially  in  a  moral  point  of  view.  The  advocates  of 
this  theory  claim  that  mythology  is  a  mere  fiction  created 
to  satisfy  man's  spiritual,  moral,  and  emotional  nature. 
The  gods  according  to  this  interpretation  represent  man's 
virtues  and  vices,  emotions,  faculties  of  mind  and  muscle, 
etc.,  personified.  Odin,  tliey  say,  is  wisdom;  Balder  is 
goodness;  Thor  is  strength;  Heimdal  is  grace,  etc. 
Again:  Thor  is  the  impersonation  of  strength  and  cour- 
age ;  the  giants  represent  impotent  sloth  and  arrogance ; 
the  conflicts  between  Thor  and  the  giants  are  a  struggle 
going  on  in  the  human  breast.  And  again :  the  mischief- 
maker  Loke  instigated  the  blind  Hoder  to  kill  the  good 
Balder;  Nanna,  Balder's  wife,  took  her  husband's  death 
so  mucii  to  heart,  that  she  died  of  grief;  Hoder  is  after- 
wards slain  by  Odin's  son  Vale ;  all  nature  weeps  for  Bal- 
der, but  still  he  is  not  released  from  Hel  (hell).  That  is, 
physical  strength  with  its  blind  earthly  desires  (Hoder), 
guided  by  sin  (Loke),  unconsciously  kills  innocence, 
(Balder).  Love  (Nanna)  dies  broken-hearted;  reflection 
(Vale)  is  aroused  and  subdues  physical  strength  (Hoder) ; 
but  innocence  (Balder)  has  vanished  from  the  world  to 
remain  in  Hel's  regions  until  the  earth  is  regenerated, 
after  Eagnarok.  The  ethical  interpretation  makes  the 
gods  the  faculties  of  the  spirit,  and  the  giants  the  facul- 


PHYSICAL   INTEEPEETATION.  85 

ties  of  the  body,  in  man ;  and  between  the  two,  soul  and 
body,  there  is  a  constant  struggle  for  supremacy.  This 
interpretation  is  very  good,  because  it  is  very  poetic,  but 
it  has  more  to  do  with  the  application  of  the  myths  than 
with  their  primary  source. 

Finally,  an  interpretation,  that  has  frequently  been 
alluded  to  in  the  preceding  pages  of  this  introduction,  is 
the  physical,  or  interpretation  from  nature, —  impersona- 
tion of  the  visible  workings  of  nature.  The  divinities 
are  the  forces  and  phenomena  of  nature  personified ;  and 
evidence  of  the  correctness  of  this  view  can  be  abundantly 
presented  by  defining  etymologically  the  names  of  the 
several  divinities,  their  attributes,  dwellings  and  achieve- 
ments, and  by  showing  how  faithfully  the  works  of 
the  gods  correspond  with  the  events  and  scenes  of  the 
outward  world.  There  is  no  doubt  that  this  is  the 
true  interpretation  of  all  mythologies ;  and  that  it  is, 
so  to  speak,  the  key  to  the  Norse  mythology,  it  is 
hoped  will  be  sufficiently  demonstrated  in  the  second 
part  of  this  book  in  connection  with  the  myths  them- 
selves ;  but  the  ethical,  or  perhaps  better  the  spiritual, 
interpretation  must  by  all  means  be  added.  The  spir- 
itual or  ethical  and  the  physical  interpretation  must 
be  combined.  In  other  words,  vve  can  scarcely  make 
the  interpretation  too  antliropomorpliic.  The  phenomena 
and  forces  of  nature  have  been  personified  by  our  fore- 
fathers into  deities,  but  the  myths  have  been  elabo- 
rated to  suit  and  correspond  with  the  moral,  intel- 
lectual and  emotional  nature, —  the  inner  life  of  man. 
The  deities  have  been  conceived  in  a  human  form, 
with  human  attributes  and  affections.  The  ancient 
Norsemen  have  made  their  mythology  reflect  human 
nature,  and  have  clothed  the  gods  with  their  own 
faculties  of   mind    and    body  in   respect  to   good  and 


86  ETHICAL    INTERPEETATIOK. 

evil,   virtue    and    vice,   right    and   wrong.      As    Rudolf 
Keyser  beautifully  expresses  himself: 

The  gods  are  the  ordaining  ,  powers  of  nature  clothed  in 
personality.  They  direct  the  world,  which  they  created ;  but 
beside  them  stand  the  mighty  goddesses  of  fate  and  time,  the 
great  norns,  who  sustain  the  world-structure,  the  all-embracing 
tree  of  the  world  (Ygdrasil).  The  life  of  the  world  is  a  strug- 
gle between  the  good  and  light  gods  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
offspring  of  chaotic  matter,  the  giants,  nature's  disturbing  forces, 
on  the  other.  This  struggle  extends  also  into  man's  being : 
the  spirit  proceeds  from  the  gods,  the  body  belongs  to  the  world  of 
the  giants  ;  they  struggle  with  each  other  for  the  supremacy.  If 
the  spirit  conquers  by  virtue  and  bravery,  man  goes  to  heaven 
after  death,  to  fight  in  concert  with  the  gods  against  the  evil 
powers;  but  if  the  body  conquers  and  links  the  spirit  to  itself 
by  weakness  and  low  desires,  then  man  sinks  after  death  to 
the  world  of  the  giants  in  the  lower  regions,  and  joins  him- 
self with   the   evil   powers   in   the   warfare  against  the  gods. 

Nature  is  the  mother  at  whose  breast  we  all  are 
nourished.  In  ancient  times  she  was  the  object  of 
childlike  contemplation,  nay,  adoration.  Nature  and 
men  were  in  close  communion  with  each  other,  much 
closer  than  we  now  are.  They  had  a  more  delicate 
perception  of,  and  more  sympathy  for,  suffering  nature ; 
and  it  were  well  if  some  of  the  purity  of  this  thought 
could  be  breathed  down  to  us,  their  prosaic  descend- 
ants, who  have  abandoned  the  offerings  to  give  place 
to  avarice  (die  Habsucht  nahm  zu,  als  die  Opfer  auf- 
horten. —  Grimm). 

It  was  a  beautiful  custom,  which  is  still  preserved 
in  some  parts  of  Norway,  to  fasten  a  bundle  of  grain 
to  a  long  pole,  which  on  Christmas  eve  was  erected 
somewhere  in  the  yard,  or  on  the  top  of  the  house  or 
barn,  for  the  wild  birds  to  feed  upon  early  on  Christ- 
mas-day morning, —  (our  heathen  ancestors  also  had  the 
Christmas    or    Yule-tide   festival).     In    our    degenerate 


ODIN,   THOR,   AEGOS,    10.  87 

times  we  think  of  chickens  and  geese  and  turkeys, 
but  who  thinks  of  the  innocent  and  suffering  little 
birds  ?  Nay,  our  ancestors  lay  nearer  to  nature's 
breast.  Have  we  had  our  hearts  hardened  by  the  iron 
yoke  of  civilized  government  ?  We  certainly  need  to 
ask   ourselves   that   question. 

The  contemplation  of  the  heavens  produced  the 
myth  about  Odin,  and  the  thunder-storm  suggested 
Thor,  as  in  the  Greek  mythology  Argos  with  his 
hundred  eyes  represents  the  starry  heavens,  and  the 
wandering  lo,  whom  Hera  had  set  him  to  watch,  is 
the  wandering  moon.  But  stopping  here  would  be 
too  prosaic;  it  would  be  leaving  out  the  better  half; 
it  would  be  giving  the  empty  shell  and  throw- 
ing away  the  kernel ;  it  would  be  giving  the  skull 
of  the  slain  warrior  without  any  ale  in  it;  it  would 
be  doing  great  nijustice  to  our  forefathers  and  rob- 
bing ourselves  of  more  than  half  of  the  intellectual 
pleasure  that  a  proper  study  of  their  myths  afford. 
The  old  Frisians  contemplated  the  world  as  a  huge 
ship,  by  name  Mannigfual  (a  counterpart  of  our  ash- 
tree  Ygdrasil) ;  the  mountains  were  its  masts ;  the 
captain  must  go  from  one  place  to  another  of  the 
ship,  giving  his  orders,  on  horseback;  the  sailors  go 
aloft  as  young  men  to  make  sail,  and  when  they 
come  down  again  their  hair  and  beard  are  white. 
Ay,  we  are  all  sailors  on  board  this  great  ship,  and 
we  all  have  enough  to  do,  each  in  his  own  way,  to 
climb  its  rope  ladders  and  make  and  reef  its  sails,  and 
ere  we  are  aware  of  it  our  hairs  are  gray ;  but  take 
the  anthropomorphic  element  out  of  this  myth,  and 
what   is   there   left   of  it? 

Our  ancestors  were  not  prosaic.  They  were  poetic 
in  the  truest  sense  of  that  word.     Our  life  is  divided 


88  OUR   ANCESTORS   NOT    PROSAIC. 

between  the  child,  the  vigorous  man,  and  old  age, — 
the  imaginative  and  prophetic  child,  the  emotional  and 
active  man,  and  the  reflecting  elder.  So  a  nation, 
which  like  the  ancient  Greek  and  Norse,  for  instance, 
has  had  a  natural  growth  and  development,  has  first 
its  childhood  of  imagination  and  prophecy,  producing 
poetry  (Homer  and  the  Eddas) ;  then  its  manhood 
of  emotion  aud  activity,  producing  history  (Herodotus 
and  the  Sagas) ;  and  then  its  old  age  of  mature  reflec- 
tion, producing  philosophy  (Socrates).  Dividing  the 
three  periods  in  Greek  history  more  definitely,  we  will 
find  that  imagination  and  poetry  predominated  during 
the  whole  time  before  Solon ;  emotion,  activity  and 
history  during  the  time  between  Solon  and  Alexander 
the  Great;  and  then  reflection  and  philosophy,  such  as 
they  were,  from  Alexander  to  the  collapse  of  the  Greek 
states. 

Even  among  the  Romans,  the  most  prosaic  of  all 
peoples,  that  nation  of  subduers,  enslavers  and  robbers, 
traces  of  this  growth  from  poetic  childhood  through 
historic  manhood  to  philosophic  old  age  can  be  found, 
which  proves  moreover  that  this  is  a  law  of  human 
development  that  cannot  be  eradicated,  although  it  may 
be  perverted.  That  of  the  Romans  is  a  most  distorted 
growth,  showing  that  as  the  twig  is  bent  the  tree  is 
inclined.  Ut  sementem  feceris,  ita  metes  —  as  you  sow, 
so  will  you  reap, —  to  quote  the  Romans'  own  words 
against  them.  The  Romans  had  their  poetic  and  pro- 
phetic age  during  the  reign  of  the  seven  kings;  their 
emotional  and  historical  age  during  the  most  prosperous 
and  glorious  epoch  of  the  republic ;  and  finally,  their 
age  of  reflection  and  philosophy  began  with  the  time 
of  the  elder  Cato.  Rome  took  a  distorted,  misan- 
thropic  course   from    the   beginning,  so   that   her    pro- 


THE    ROMANS   AGAIN.  89 

foundest  and  most  poetic  myth  is  that  of  the  warlike 
Mars  and  the  rapacious  tool/,  the  father  and  nurse  of 
the  fratricide  Romukis.  This  myth  is  prophetic,  and 
in  it  the  whole  history  of  Rome  is  reflected  as  in 
a  mirror.  The  Romans  themselves  claim  that  their 
Sibylline  books  (prophecy)  belong  to  the  time  of  their 
kings.  When,  during  the  transition  period  from  the 
emotional  to  the  philosophic  age,  Rome  was  to  have 
dramatic  writers,  she  produced  in  comedy  the  clumsy 
Plautus,  whom  the  Romans  employed  in  turning  a 
hand-mill ;  and  in  tragedy  the  flat  Ennius,  whose  works 
were  lost;  so  that  her  only  really  poetical  tragedy  is 
the  fate  of  her  dramatic  poets.  Her  other  poetical 
works,  of  which  the  world  has  boasted  so  much,  came 
later,  after  the  death  of  Cicero,  their  most  famous  orator, 
during  the  life  of  the  crowned  Augustus ;  they  came  like 
an  Iliad  after  Homer,  and  the  most  of  them  was  a  poor 
imitation  of  Greek  literature,  just  as  this  book  is  a 
poor  imitation  of  Scandinavian  literature.  Ux  ipso 
fonte  dulcius  hihuntur  aqum  —  go  to  the  fountain 
itself  if  you  want  to  drink  the  pure  and  sparkling 
water.  The  Roman  literature  is  eminently  worthy  of 
the  consideration  of  the  historical  philosopher,  but  it 
ought  not  to  be  canonized  and  used  to  torture  the  life 
out  of  students  with. 

The  Hebrews  have  their  imaginative,  poetic  and 
prophetic  age  from  Genesis  to  Moses;  their  emotional 
and  historical  age  from  Moses  to  Solomon,  and  then 
begins  their  age  of   reflection  and  philosophy. 

Taking  a  grand,  colossal,  general  view  of  the  history 
of  the  world,  we  would  say  that  the  ancients  belong 
chiefly  to  the  poetic  age,  the  middle  ages  to  the  emotional 
age,  and  modern  times  to  the  reflecting  age,  of  the 
human   race.      Thus  the  life  of   the  individual    is,  in 


90  PHYSICAL    INTERPRETATION    INSUFFICIENT. 

miniature,  the  life  of  a  people  or  of  the  whole  human 
family. 

This  was  a  digression,  and  we  confess  that  it  is  not 
the  first  one  we  have  made ;  but  in  the  world  of  thought, 
as  in  the  world  of  music,  monotony  is  tedious ;  and 
the  reader  having  perhaps  refreshed  his  mind  by  the 
interlude,  we  will  proceed  to  discuss  further  the  union 
of  the  ethical  with  the  physical  interpretation  of 
mythology.  Physical  interpretation  alone  is  the  shell 
■without  the  kernel.  Nature  gives  us  only  the  source 
of  the  myth ;  but  we  want  its  value  in  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  a  people  in  their  childhood.  The  touching 
gracefulness  of  Nanna,  and  of  Idun  reclining  on  Brage's 
breast,  was  not  suggested  by  nature  alone,  but  the 
pictures  of  these  reflect  corresponding  natures  in  our 
ancestors.  To  explain  a  myth  simply  by  the  phe- 
nomenon in  external  nature  (be  it  remembered,  how- 
ever, that  man  also  constitutes  a  part  of  nature)  that 
suggested  it  to  the  ancients,  would  be  reducing  my- 
thology to  a  natural  science;  and  it  is  sad  to  witness 
how  the  beautiful  and  poetical  Eddas,  in  the  hands 
of  some,  have  dwindled  down  into  the  dry  chemistry, 
chronology,  electro-magnetism,  mathematics,  astronomy, 
or,  if  you  please,  the  almanacs,  of  our  forefathers, 
instead  of  being  presented  as  the  grand,  prophetic 
drama  which  foreshadowed  the  heroic  and  enterprising 
destiny  of  the  Teutonic  nations.  The  twelve  dwellings 
of  the  gods,  they  say,  represent  the  twelve  signs  of 
the  zodiac;  Balder  they  make  the  constellation  of  the 
lion ;  Odin's  twelve  names,  they  say,  are  the  twelve 
months  of  the  year;  his  fifty-two  names,  which  he 
himself  enumerates  in  Grimnismaal,  are  the  fifty-two 
weeks  in  the  year;  the  thirteen  valkyries  are  the  thir- 
teen   new   moons   in  the   year.      How  profound!      How 


NATURAL   SCIENCE.  91 

perfectly  everything  adapts  itself  to  the  theory!  This 
invaluable  discovery  was  made  on  the  seventh  of  De- 
cember, 1827.  It  ought  to  be  a  legal  holiday!  The 
one  ox,  three  measures  of  mead  and  eight  salmon  which 
Thor,  according  to  the  Elder  Edda,  consumed,  when 
he  had  come  to  Jotunheim  to  fetch  his  hammer,  they 
claim  also  represent  the  year's  twelve  months,  for 
1+34-8  =  12.  Furthermore,  the  three  gods,  Haar,  Jafn- 
haar,  and  Thride,  are  the  three  fundamental  elements, 
sulphur,  mercury,  and  salt ;  Odin,  Vile,  and  Ve,  are  the 
three  laws  of  the  universe,  gravity,  motion,  and  affinity. 
Thor  is  electricity;  his  belt  is  an  electric  condenser, 
his  gloves  an  electric  conductor.  Hrungner,  with  whom 
he  contends,  is  petrifaction;  the  Mokkerkalfe,  whom 
Thjalfe  slew,  is  the  magnetic  needle.  Gunlad  is  oxygen, 
Kvaser  is  sugar,  etc.  But  this  will  do.  Are  not  these 
golden  keys,  with  which  to  unlock  the  secret  chambers 
of  the  Eddas! 

All  the  deities  do  not  represent  phenomena  and  forces 
of  nature,  and  this  fact  gives  if  possible  still  more  im- 
portance to  the  anthropomorphic  interpretation.  Some 
myths  are  mere  creations  of  the  imagination,  to  give 
symmetry  and  poetical  finish  to  the  system,  or  we  might 
say  to  the  drama  —  to  complete  the  delineations  of  the 
characters  that  appear  on  the  stage  of  action.  Hermod, 
for  instance,  is  no  phenomenon  in  physical  nature:  he 
is  the  servant  of  Odin  in  the  character  of  the  latter 
as  the  god  of  war.  Odin  is  the  god  of  the  heavens, 
but  it  is  not  in  this  capacity  he  sends  out  the  valkyries 
to  pick  up  the  fallen  heroes  on  the  field  of  battle. 

In  rejecting  the  historical  interpretation,  we  do  by 
no  means  mean  to  deny  the  influence  of  the  mythology 
upon  the  social,  religious,  political  and  literary  life  of 
the  Norsemen.     But  this  is  not  an  explanation  of  the 


92  HISTOEICAL   PROPHECY. 

mythology  itself,  but  of  its  influence  upon  the  minds 
of  the  people.  If  we  mean  it  in  a  prophetic  sense,  the 
Norse  mythology  has  also  an  historical  interpretation. 
In  it  was  mirrored  the  grand  future  of  the  Norse  spirit ; 
by  it  the  Norsemen  were  taught  to  make  those  daring 
expeditions  to  every  part  of  the  civilized  world,  making 
conquests  and  planting  colonies ;  to  cross  the  briny  deep 
and  open  the  way  to  Iceland,  Greenland  and  America; 
to  take  possession  of  Normandy  in  France,  subdue  Eng- 
land and  make  inroads  into  Spain  and  Italy;  to  pass 
between  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  devastate  the  classic 
fields  of  G-reece,  and  carve  their  mysterious  runes  on 
the  marble  lion  in  Athens;  to  lay  the  foundations  of 
the  Russian  Empire,  penetrate  the  walls  of  Constanti- 
nople and  swing  their  two-edged  battle-axes  in  its  streets ; 
to  sail  up  the  rivers  Rhine,  the  Scheldt,  the  Seine,  and 
the  Loire,  conquering  Cologne  and  Aachen  and  besieging 
Paris ;  to  lead  the  van  of  the  chivalry  of  Europe  in  rescu- 
ing the  holy  sepulchre  and  rule  over  Antioch  and  Tibe- 
rias under  Harald ;  to  sever  the  fetters  forged  by  the 
Roman  emperors,  break  the  crosiers  in  the  hands  of  the 
Roman  popes  and  infuse  a  nobler  and  freer  spirit  into 
the  nations  of  the  earth ;  and  by  their  mythology  they 
were  taught  to  give  to  the  world  that  germ  of  liberty 
that  struck  root  in  the  earliest  literature  of  France,  bud- 
ded in  the  Magna  Charta  of  England,  and  developed  its 
full-blown  flowers  in  the  American  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. 

The  principal  object  of  the  second  part  of  this  vol- 
ume is  to  give  a  faithful,  accurate  and  complete  presen- 
tation of  the  myths;  but  interpretations  and  reflections 
will  be  freely  indulged  in.  The  basis  of  the  interpre- 
tation will  be  the  physical  and  ethical  combined,  the 
two  taken  as  a  unit.      The  reflections  will  consist  in 


A   COMPLETE    MYTHOLOGY.  93 

pointing  out  occasionally  the  fulfilment  of  the  prophe- 
cies historically,  or  rather  the  application  of  the  myths 
to  historical  philosophy.  When  only  the  physical  source 
of  the  myth  is  given,  its  anthropomorjjhic  element  must 
be  supiDlied  in  the  mind  of  the  reader.  When  Thor  is 
given  as  the  impersonation  of  thunder,  and  Heimdal  as 
the  rainbow,  clothed  with  personality,  then  the  reader 
must  consider  what  sensations  would  be  awakened  in  his 
own  breast  by  these  phenomena  if  he  had  been  taught 
to  regard  them  as  persons.  And  when  he  has  given 
them  stature,  gait,  clothing,  bearing,  expression  of  the 
eye  and  countenance,  and  personal  character  correspond- 
ing with  their  lofty  positions  in  the  management  of  the 
aflFairs  of  the  world,  then  he  can  form  some  idea  of  these 
deities  as  contemplated  by  the  ancient  Norsemen. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  N^ORSE  MYTHOLOGY  FURNISHES  ABUNDANT  AND  EX- 
CELLENT MATERIAL  FOR  THE  USE  OF  POETS,  SCULP- 
TORS   AND    PAINTERS. 

IN  a  previous  chapter  it  was  claimed  that  the  time 
must  come  when  Norse  mythology  will  be  copiously 
reflected  in  our  elegant  literature  and  in  our  fine  arts; 
and  we  insist  that  we  who  are  Goths,  and  branches  of 
the  noble  ash  Ygdrasil,  ought  to  develop  some  fibre, 
leaves,  buds  and  flowers  with  nourishment  drawn  from 
the  roots  of  our  own  tree  of  existence,  and  not  be  con- 
stantly borrowing  from  our  neighbors.  If  our  poets 
would  but  study  Norse  mythology,  they  would  find  in 
it  ample  material  for  the  most  sublime  poetry.  The\ 
Norse  mythology  is  itself  a  finished  poem,  and  has  been/ 
most  beautifully  presented  in  the  Elder  Edda,  but  it 
furnishes  at  the  same  time  a  variety  of  themes  that  can 
be  combined  and  elaborated  into  new  poems  with  all 
the  advantages  of  modern  art,  modern  civilization  and 
enlightenment.  With  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  a  touch 
of  beauty  and  grandeur  can  be  unconsciously  thrown 
over  the  loftiness  of  stature,  the  growth  of  muscle,  the 
bold  masses  of  intellectual  masonry,  the  tempestuous 
strength  of  passions,  those  gods  and  heroes  of  impetu- 
ous natures  and  gigantic  proportions,  those  overwhelm- 
ing tragedies  of- primitive  vigor,  which  are  to  be  found 
in  the  Eddas.      If  our  American  poet  would  but  pay 

(94) 


HOW    TO    EDUCATE   THE    CHILD.  95 

a  visit  to  Urd's  fountain,  to  Time's  morning  in  our 
Gothic  history,  and  tarry  tliere  until  the  dawn  tinges 
the  horizon  with  crimson  and  scarlet  and  the  sun  breaks 
through  the  clouds  and  sends  its  inspiring  rays  into  his 
soul, —  then  his  poetry  and  compositions  would  reflect 
those  auroral  rays  with  intensified  effulgence;  it  would 
shine  upon  and  enlighten  and  gladden  a  whole  nation. 
We  need  poets  who  can  tell  us,  in  words  that  burn, 
about  our  Gothic  ancestors,  in  order  that  we  may  be 
better  able  to  comprehend  ourselves.  It  has  heretofore 
been  explained  how  the  history  of  nations  divides  itself 
into  three  periods  —  the  imaginative,  the  emotional,  and 
reflective;  poetry,  history,  and  philosophy;  and  how 
these  have  their  miniature  counterparts  in  the  life  of 
any  single  person  —  childhood,  manhood,  and  old  age ; 
and  now  we  are  prepared  to  present  this  claim,  that  the 
poetic,  imaginative  and  prophetic  period  of  our  race 
should  be  compressed  into  the  soul  of  the  child.  The 
poetic  period  of  his  oimi  race  should  be  melted  and 
moulded  into  poetry,  touched  by  a  spark  of  Christian 
refinement  and  love,  and  then  poured,  so  to  speak,  into 
the  soul  of  the  child.  The  child's  mind  should  feed 
upon  the  mythological  stories  and  the  primitive  folk- 
lore of  his  race.  It  should  be  nourished  with  milk 
from  its  own  mother's  breast.  Does  any  one  doubt  this  ? 
Let  him  ask  the  Scandinavian  poets:  ask  what  kindled 
the  imaginative  fancy  of  Welhaveu;  ask  what  inspired 
the  force  and  simplicity  of  phrase  in  Oelenschlaeger's 
poetry;  ask  what  produced  the  unadorned  loveliness 
with  which  Bjornstjerne  Bjornson  expresses  himself,  and 
the  mountain  torrent  that  rushes  onward  with  impetu- 
ous speed  in  Wergeland ;  ask  what  produced  the  refine- 
ment of  phrase  of  Tegner,  and  the  wild  melodious 
abandon  of  Ibsen ; —  and  they  will  teU  him  that  in  the 


96  OLE   BULL. 

deep  defiles  of  that  sea-girt  and  rock-bound  land  called 
Norseland,  where  the  snow-crowned  mountains  tower  like 
castle-walls,  they  found  in  a  leafy  summer  bower  a  Saga- 
book  full  of  magic  words  and  beautiful  pictures,  and, 
like  Alexander  of  old,  they  made  this  wonderful  book 
their  pillow.  They  may  tell  you  that  the  Scandinavian 
schools,  like  the  American,  are  pretty  thoroughly  Latin- 
ized, but  that  they  stole  out  of  the  school-room,  studied 
this  Saga-book,  and  from  it  they  drew  their  inspiration. 
The  writer  once  asked  the  famous  Norse  violinist,  Ole 
Bull,  what  had  inspired  his  musical  talent  and  given  his 
music  that  weird,  original,  inexplicable  expression  and 
style.  He  said,  that  from  childhood  he  had  taken  a  pro- 
found delight  in  the  picturesque  and  harmonious  combi- 
nation of  grandeur,  majesty,  and  gracefulness  of  the 
flower-clad  valleys,  the  silver-crested  mountains,  the  sing- 
ing brooks,  babbling  streams,  thundering  rivers,  sylvan 
shores  and  smiling  lakes  of  his  native  land.  He  had 
eagerly  devoured  all  the  folk-lore,  all  the  stories  about 
trolls,  elves  and  sprites  that  came  within  his  reach ;  he 
had  especially  reveled  in  all  the  mythological  tales  about 
Odin,  Thor,  Balder,  Ymer,  the  Midgard-serpent,  Ragnarok, 
etc.;  and  these  things,  he  said,  have  made  my  music. 
Truthfully  has  our  own  poet  Longfellow,  who  has  him- 
self taken  more  than  one  draft  from  Mimer's  fountain, 
and  communed  more  than  once  with  Brage  —  said  of 
Ole  Bull: 

He  lived  in  tliat  ideal  world 

Whose  language  is  not  speech,  but  song; 

Around  him  evermore  the  throng 

Of  elves  and  sprites  their  dances  whirled; 

The  Striimkarl  sang,  the  cataract  hurled 

Its  headlong  waters  from  the  height, 

And  mingled  in  the  wild  delight 

The  scream  of  sea-birds  in  their  flight, 


MEN    FREQUENTLY   ACT   LIKE    ANTS.  97 

The  rumor  of  tlie  forest  trees. 
The  plunge  of  the  implacable  seas. 
The  tumult  of  the  wind  at  night. 
Voices  of  eld,  like  trumpets  blowing 
Old  ballads  and  wild  melodies 
Through  mist  and  darkness  pouring  forth 
Like  Elivagar's  rivers  flowing 
Out  of  the  glaciers  of  the  North. 

These  are  the  things  that  make  poets,  and  musicians 
are  poets.     Then  contin  ties  the  same  author : 

And  when  he  played,  the  atmosphere 
Was  filled  with  music,  and  the  ear 
Caught  echo  of  that  harp  of  gold 
Whose  music  had  so  weird  a  sound. 
The  hunted  stag  forgot  to  bound. 
The  leaping  rivulet  backward  rolled, 
The  bird  came  down  from  bush  and  tree, 
The  dead  came  from  beneath  the  sea, 
The  maiden  to  the  harper's  knee. 

Only  these  few  lines  make  it  clear  that  Longfellow  has 
not  only  communed  with  Brage,  but  has  also  refreshed 
himself  at  the  Castalian  fountain ;  that  he  has  not  only 
penetrated  the  mysteries  of  the  Greek  mythology,  but  has 
also  visited  the  deities  of  the  North. 

If  you  do  not  believe  that  the  Norse  mythology  fur- 
nishes suitable  themes  for  poetry,  then  do  not  echo  the 
voice  of  the  multitude  and  cry  the  idea  down  because  it 
seems  new.  Men  frequently  act  like  ants.  When  a  red  ant 
appears  among  the  black  ones,  they  all  attack  it,  for  they 
have  once  for  all  made  up  their  minds  that  all  ants  must 
necessarily  be  black  ;  they  have  themselves  been  black  all 
tlieir  lives,  and  all  their  ancestors  were  black,  so  far  as 
they  know  anything  about  them.  Thus  it  has  become  a 
fixed  opinion  with  many,  that  mythology  necessarily 
means  Greek  or  Roman.  We  said  to  one  of  our  friends: 
9 


98  OELENSCHL.EGER. 

We  are  writing  a  book  on  Norse  mythology.  Says  our 
learned  friend:  Are  not  those  old  stories  about  Jupiter 
and  Mars  pretty  well  written  up  by  this  time?  We 
said  we  thought  they  were,  too  much  so ;  but  we  are 
writing  about  Odin  and  Thor.  Then  our  learned  friend 
shook  his  head  in  surprise  and  said  that  he  never  heard 
of  those  gentlemen  before.  If  our  reader's  case  is  the 
same  as  that  of  our  learned  friend,  then  let  him  examine 
the  subject  for  himself.  Let  him  read  the  Norse  mythol- 
ogy through  carefully.  Let  him  then  tell  us  what  themes 
suggestive  of  sublime  poetry  he  found  in  the  upper,  the 
middle  and  the  lower  worlds  of  the  Odinic  mythology; 
how  he  was  impressed  with  the  regions  of  the  gods,  of  the 
giants,  and  of  the  dwarfs;  what  he  thought  of  the  various 
exploits  of  the  gods;  how  he  was  impressed  with  the  great 
and  wise  Odin,  the  good  and  shining  Balder,  the  mighty 
Thor,  the  subtle  and  malicious  Loke,  the  queenly  Frigg, 
the  genial  Frey,  the  lovely  Idun  reclining  on  the  eloquent 
Brage's  breast,  and  the  gentle  Nanna.  Let  him  read  and 
see  whether  or  not  he  will  be  delighted  Avith  all  the  mag- 
nificent scenery  of  Gladsheim,  Valhal,  Midgard,  Niflheim^ 
Muspelheim,  and  Ginungagap ;  Avith  the  norns  Urd, 
Verdande,  and  Skuld;  with  the  glorious  ash  Ygdrasil; 
with  the  fountain  of  Mimer  (let  him  take  a  deep  drink, 
while  he  is  there);  with  the  heavenly  bridge  Bifrost  (the 
rainbow),  upon  which  the  gods  daily  descend  to  the  Urdar- 
fountain ;  and  with  the  wild  tempest-traversed  regions  of 
Ean  (the  goddess  of  the  sea,  wife  of  ^ger).  The  cele- 
brated poet  Oelenschlffiger  found  in  all  these  things  inex- 
haustible scope  for  poetic  embellishments,  and  he  availed 
himself  of  it  in  his  work,  entitled  Gods  of  the  North,  with 
the  zeal  and  power  of  a  genuine  poet.  He  revived  the 
memories  of  the  past.  He  bade  the  gods  come  forward 
out  of  the  mists  of  the  centuries,  and  he  accomplished  in 


THOR'S    FISHING.  99 

less  than  fifty  years  what  Latin  versions  of  the  Eddas  had 
not  been  able  to  accomplish  in  three  centuries.  Two  of 
Oelenschlajger's  poems  are  given  translated  in  Poets  and 
Poetry  of  Europe,  and  Mr.  Longfellow  has  given  us  per- 
mission to  present  them  here.  We  will  now  avail  our- 
selves of  his  kindness  and  not  discuss  this  portion  of  the 
subject  of  this  chapter  any  further,  knowing  that  the 
reader  will  find  the  poems  Thor's  Fishing  and  The 
Dwarfs  far  more  pleasing  and  convincing  than  any 
additional  arguments  we  might  be  able  to  produce. 
Here  they  are : 

THOR'S     FISHING. 

On  the  dark  bottom  of  the  great  salt  lake 

Imprisoned  lay  the  giant  snake. 

With  naught  his  sullen  sleep  to  break. 

Huge  whales  disported  amorous  o'er  his  neck  ; 

Little  their  sports  the  worm  did  reck. 

Nor  his  dark,  vengeful  thoughts  would  check. 

To  move  his  iron  fins  he  has  no  power, 
Nor  yet  to  harm  the  trembling  shore, 
With  scaly  rings  he  is  covered  o'er. 

His  head  he  seeks  'mid  coral  rocks  to  hide. 
Nor  e'er  hath  man  bis  eye  espied. 
Nor  could  its  deadly  glare  abide. 

His  eye-lids  half  in  drowsy  stupor  close, 
But  short  and  troubled  his  repose, 
As  his  quick  heavy  breathing  shows. 

Muscles  and  crabs,  and  all  the  shelly  race. 
In  spacious  banks  still  crowd  for  place 
A  grisly  beard,  around  his  face. 

When  Midgard's  worm  his  fetters  strives  to  break, 
Riseth  the  sea,  the  mountains  quake ; 
The  fiends  in  Naastrand  merry  make 


100  thok's  fishikg. 

Rejoicing  flames  from  Hecla's  caldron  flash, 
Huge  molten  stones  with  deafening  crash 
Fly  out, — its  scathed  sides  fire-streams  wash. 

The  affrighted  sons  of  Ask  d,o  feel  the  shock. 
As  the  worm  doth  lie  and  rock, 
And  sullen  waiteth  Ragnarok. 

To  his  foul  craving  maw  naught  e'er  came  ill ; 

It  never  he  doth  cease  to  fill  ; 

Nath'  more  his  hungry  pain  can  still. 

Upward  by  chance  he  turns  his  sleepy  eye. 
And,  over  him  suspended  nigh. 
The  gory  head  he  doth  espy. 

The  serpent  taken  with  his  own  deceit. 
Suspecting  naught  the  daring  cheat. 
Ravenous  gulps  down  the  bait. 

His  leathern  jaws  the  barbed  steel  compress. 
His  ponderous  head  must  leave  the  abyss  ; 
Dire  was  Jormungander's  hiss. 

In  giant  coils  he  writhes  his  length  about, 
Poisonous  streams  he  speweth  out, 
But  his  struggles  help  him  naught. 

The  mighty  Thor  knoweth  no  peer  in  fight. 
The  loathsome  worm,  his  strength  despite. 
Now  o'ermatched  must  yield  the  fight. 

His  grisly  head  Thor  heaveth  o'er  the  tide. 

No  mortal  eye  the  sight  may  bide, 

The  scared  waves  haste  i'  th'  sands  to  hide. 

As  when  accursed  Naastrand  yawns  and  burns. 
His  impious  throat  'gainst  heaven  he  turns 
And  with  his  tail  the  ocean  spurns. 

The  parched  sky  droops,  darkness  enwraps  the  sun 
Now  the  matchless  strength  is  shown 
Of  the  god  whom  warriors  own. 


THOfi'S   FISHING.  101 

Around  his  loins  he  draws  his  girdle  tight, 
His  eye  with  triumph  flashes  bright. 
The  frail  boat  splits  aneath  his  weight ; 

The  frail  boat  splits, — but  on  the  ocean's  ground 
Thor  again  hath  footing  found  ; 
Within  his  arms  the  worm  is  bound. 

Hymer,  who  in  the  strife  no  part  had  took, 
But  like  a  trembling  aspen  shook, 
Rouseth  him  to  avert  the  stroke. 

In  the  last  night,  the  vala  hath  decreed 

Thor,  in  Odin's  utmost  need, 

To  the  worm  shall  bow  the  head. 

Thus,  in  sunk  voice,  the  craven  giant  spoke, 
Whilst  from  his  belt  a  knife  he  took, 
Forged  by  dwarfs  aneath  the  rock. 

Upon  the  magic  belt  straight  'gan  to  file ; 
Thor  in  bitter  scorn  to  smile  ; 
Mjolner  swang  in  air  the  while. 

In  the  worm's  front  full  two-score  leagues  it  fell ; 
From  Gimle  to  the  realms  of  hell 
Echoed  Jormungander's  yell. 

The  ocean  yawned ;  Thor's  lightnings  rent  the  sky  ; 
Through  the  storm,  the  great  sun's  eye 
Looked  out  on  the  fight  from  high. 

Bifrost  i'  th'  east  shone  forth  in  brightest  green  ; 
On  its  top,  in  snow-white  sheen, 
Heimdal  at  his  post  was  seen. 

On  the  charmed  belt  the  dagger  hath  no  power; 
The  star  of  Jotunheim  'gan  to  lour  ; 
But  now,  in  Asgard's  evil  hour, 

When  all  his  efforts  foiled  tall  Hymer  saw, 
Wading  to  the  serpent's  maw, 
On  the  kedge  he  'gan  to  saw. 


102  THE    DWARFS. 

The  Sun,  dismayed,  hastened  in  clouds  to  hide, 
Heimdal  turned  his  head  aside  ; 
Thor  was  humbled  in  his  pride. 

The  knife  prevails,  far  down  beneath  the  main, 
The  serpent,  spent  with  toil  and  pain, 
To  the  bottom  sank  again. 

The  giant  fled,  his  head  'mid  rocks  to  save. 

Fearfully  the  god  did  rave. 

With  his  lightnings  tore  the  wave. 

To  madness  stung,  to  think  his  conquest  vain. 
His  ire  no  longer  could  contain, 
Dared  the  worm  to  rise  again. 

His  radiant  form  to  its  full  height  he  drew. 
And  Mjolner  through  the  billows  blue 
Swifter  than  the  fire-bolt  flew. 

Hoped,  yet,  the  worm  had  fallen  beneath  the  stroke; 
But  the  wily  child  of  Loke 
Waits  her  turn  at  Ragnarok. 

His  hammer  lost,  back  wends  the  giant-bane. 
Wasted  his  strength,  his  prowess  vain ; 
And  Mjolner  must  with  Ran  remain. 

THE  DWARFS. 

Loke  sat  and  thought,  till  his  dark  eyes  gleam 

With  joy  at  the  deed  he'd  done ; 
When  Sif  looked  into  the  crystal  stream. 

Her  courage  was  well-nigh  gone. 

For  never  again  her  soft  amber  hair 

Shall  she  braid  with  her  hands  of  snow  ; 

From  the  hateful  image  she  turned  in  despair. 
And  hot  tears  began  to  flow. 

In  a  cavern's  mouth,  like  a  crafty  fox, 
Loke  sat  'neath  the  tall  pine's  shade, 

When  sudden  a  thundering  was  heard  in  the  rocks, 
And  fearfully  trembled  the  glade. 


THE    DWARFS.  103- 

Then  lie  knew  that  the  noise  good  boded  him  naught, 
He  knew  that  't  was  Thor  who  was  coming ; 

He  changed  himself  straight  to  a  salmon-trout, 
And  leaped  in  a  fright  in  the  Glommen.* 

But  Thor  changed,  too,  to  a  huge  sea-gull. 

And  the  salmon-trout  seized  in  his  beak ; 
He  cried :  Thor,  traitor,  I  know  thee  well, 

And  dear  shalt  thou  pay  thy  freak ! 

Thy  caitiflT's  bones  to  a  meal  I'll  pound, 

As  a  mill-stone  crusheth  the  grain. 
When  Loke  that  naught  booted  his  magic  found. 

He  took  straight  his  own  form  again. 

And  what  if  thou  scatter' st  my  limbs  in  air? 

He  spake,  will  it  mend  thy  case? 
Will  it  gain  back  for  Sif  a  single  hair? 

Thou'lt  still  a  bald  spouse  embrace. 

But  if  now  thou'lt  pardon  my  heedless  joke, — 

For  malice  sure  meant  I  none, — 
I  swear  to  thee  here,  by  root,  billow  and  rock. 

By  the  moss  on  the  Bauta-stone,f 

By  Mimer's  well,  and  by  Odin's  eye. 

And  by  Mjolner,  greatest  of  all, 
That  straight  to  the  secret  caves  I'll  hie, 

To  the  dwarfs,  my  kinsmen  small ; 

And  thence  for  Sif  new  tresses  I'll  bring 

Of  gold  ere  the  daylight's  gone. 
So  that  she  will  liken  a  field  in  spring. 

With  its  yellow-flowered  garment  on. 

Him  answered  Thor :   Why,  thou  brazen  knave. 

To  my  face  to  mock  me  dost  dare? 
Thou  know'st  well  that  Mjolner  is  now  'neath  the  wave 

With  Ran,  and  wilt  still  by  it  swear? 

*  A  river  in  Norway.  t  A  stone  raised  over  a  grave. 


104  THE   DWARFS. 

O  a  better  hammer  for  thee  I'll  obtain  ; 

And  he  shook  like  an  aspen-tree, 
For  whose  stroke  shield,  buckler  and  greave  shall  be  vain, 

And  the  giants  with  terror  shall  flee ! 

Not  so !  cried  Thor,  and  his  eyes  flashed  fire ; 

Thy  base  treason  calls  loud  for  blood, 
And  hither  I'm  come  with  my  sworn  brother  Frey, 

To  make  thee  of  ravens  the  food. 

I'll  take  hold  of  thy  arms  and  thy  coal-black  hair. 

And  Frey  of  thy  heels  behind, 
And  thy  lustful  body  to  atoms  we'll  tear, 

And  scatter  thy  limbs  to  the  wind. 

O  spare  me,  Frey,  thou  great-souled  king ! 
And,  weeping,  he  kissed  his  feet ; 

0  mercy,  and  thee  I'll  a  courser  bring. 

No  match  in  the  wide  world  shall  meet. 

Without  whip  or  spur  round  the  earth  you  shall  ride ; 

He'll  ne'er  weary  by  day  nor  by  night ; 
He  shall  carry  you  safe  o'er  the  raging  tide. 

And  his  golden  hair  furnish  you  light. 

Loke  promised  as  well  with  his  glozing  tongue 

That  the  asas  at  length  let  him  go, 
And  he  sank  in  the  earth,  the  dark  rocks  among. 

Near  the  cold-fountain,  far  below. 

He  crept  on  his  belly,  as  supple  as  eel, 

The  cracks  in  the  hard  granite  through. 
Till  he  came  where  the  dwarfs  stood  hammering  steel, 

By  the  light  of  a  furnace  blue. 

1  trow  't  was  a  goodly  sight  to  see 

The  dwarfs,  with  their  aprons  on, 
A-hammering  and  smelting  so  busily 

Pure  gold  from  the  rough  brown  stone. 

Rock  crystals  from  sand  and  hard  flint  they  made. 

Which,  tinged  with  the  rosebud's  dye, 
They  cast  into  rubies  and  carbuncles  red, 

And  hid  them  in  cracks  hard  by. 


THE    DWARFS.  105 

They  took  them  fresh  violets  all  dripping  with  dew. 
Dwarf-women  had  plucked  them,  the  morn, — 

And  stained  with  their  juice  the  clear  sapphires  blue, 
King  Dan  in  his  crown  since  hath  worn. 

Then  for  emeralds  they  searched  out  the  brightest  green 

Which  the  young  spring  meadow  wears, 
And  dropped  round  pearls,  without  flaw  or  stain, 

From  widows'  and  maidens'  tears. 

And  all  around  the  cavern  naight  plainly  be  shown 

Where  giants  had  once  been  at  play ; 
For  the  ground  was  with  heaps  of  huge  muscle-shells  strewn, 
And  strange  fish  were  marked  in  the  clay. 

Here  an  ichthyosaurus  stood  out  from  the  wall. 

There  monsters  ne'er  told  of  in  story. 
Whilst  hard  by  the  Nix  in  the  waterfall 

Sang  wildly  the  days  of  their  glory. 

Here  bones  of  the  mammoth  and  mastodon, 

And  serpents  with  wings  and  with  claws ; 
The  elephant's  tusks  from  the  burning  zone 

Are  small  to  the  teeth  in  their  jaws. 

When  Loke  to  the  dwarfs  had  his  errand  made  known. 

In  a  trice  for  the  work  they  were  ready  ; 
Quoth  Dvalin  :  O  Lopter,  it  now  shall  be  shown 

That  dwarfs  in  their  friendship  are  steady. 

We  both  trace  our  line  from  the  selfsame  stock  ; 

What  you  ask  shall  be  furnished  with  speed, 
For  it  ne'er  shall  be  said  that  the  sons  of  the  rock 

Turned  their  backs  on  a  kinsman  in  need. 

They  took  them  the  skin  of  a  large  wild-boar. 

The  largest  that  they  could  find. 
And  the  bellows  they  blew  till  the  furnace  'gan  roar, 

And  the  fire  flamed  on  high  for  the  wind. 

And  they  struck  with  their  sledge-hammers  stroke  on  stroke, 
That  the  sparks  from  the  skin  flew  on  high, 

But  never  a  word  good  or  bad  spake  Loke, 
Though  foul  malice  lurked  in  his  eye. 


106  THE    DWARFS. 

The  thuuderer  far  distant,  with  sorrow  he  thought 

On  all  he'd  engaged  to  obtain, 
And,  as  summer-breeze  fickle,  now  anxiously  sought 

To  render  the  dwarfs'  labor  vain. 

Whilst  ths  bellows  plied  Brok,  and  Sindre  the  hammer. 

And  Thor,  that  the  sparks  flew  on  high, 
And  the  sides  of  the  vaulted  cave  rang  with  the  clamor, 

Loke  changed  to  a  huge  forest-fly. 

And  he  sat  him  all  swelling  with  venom  and  spite. 

On  Brok,  the  wrist  just  below; 
But  the  dwarf's  skin  was  thick,  and  he  recked  not  the  bite, 

Nor  once  ceased  the  bellows  to  blow. 

And  now,  strange  to  say,  from  the  roaring  fire 

Came  the  golden-haired  Gullinburste, 
To  serve  as  a  charger  the  sun-god  Frey  , 

Sure,  of  all  wild-boars  this  the  first. 

They  took  them  pure  gold  from  their  secret  store, 

The  piece  't  was  but  small  in  size, 
But  ere  't  had  been  long  in  the  furnace  roar, 

'T  was  a  jewel  beyond  all  prize. 

A  broad  red  ring  all  of  wroughten  gold, 

As  a  snake  with  its  tail  in  its  head, 
And  a  garland  of  gems  did  the  rim  enfold, 

Together  with  rare  art  laid. 

'T  was  solid  and  heavy,  and  wrought  with  care. 
Thrice  it  passed  through  the  white  flames'  glow; 

A  ring  to  produce,  fit  for  Odin  to  wear. 
No  labor  they  spared,  I  trow. 

They  worked  it  and  turned  it  with  wondrous  skill, 

Till  they  gave  it  the  virtue  rare. 
That  each  thrice  third  night  from  its  rim  there  fell 

Eight  rings,  as  their  parent  fair. 

'T  was  the  same  with  which  Odin  sanctified 

God  Balder's  and  Nanna's  faith ; 
On  his  gentle  bosom  was  Draupner  laid. 

When  their  eyes  were  closed  in  death. 


THE    DWAEFS.  107 

Next  tliey  laid  on  the  anvil  a  steel-bar  cold. 

They  needed  nor  fire  nor  file ; 
But  their  sledge-hammers,  following,  like  thunder  rolled, 

And  Sindre  sang  runes  the  while. 

When  Loke  now  marked  how  the  steel  gat  power, 

And  how  warily  out  't  was  beat 
('T  was  to  make  a  new  hammer  for  Ake-Thor), 

He'd  recourse  once  more  to  deceit. 

In  a  trice,  of  a  hornet  the  semblance  he  took. 

Whilst  in  cadence  fell  blow  on  blow. 
In  the  leading  dwarf's  forehead  his  barbed  sting  he  stuck, 

That  the  blood  in  a  stream  down  did  flow. 

Then  the  dwarf  raised  his  hand  to  his  brow  for  the  smart. 

Ere  the  iron  well  out  was  beat. 
And  they  found  that  the  haft  by  an  inch  was  too  short. 

But  to  alter  it  then  't  was  too  late. 

Now  a  small  elf  came  running  with  gold  on  his  head. 

Which  he  gave  a  dwarf   woman  to  spin. 
Who  the  metal  like  flax  on  her  spinning  wheel  laid, 

Nor  tarried  her  task  to  begin. 

So  she  span  and  span,  and  the  gold  thread  ran 

Into  hair,  though  Loke  thought  it  a  pity ; 
She  span  and  sang  to  the  sledge-hammer's  clang 

This  strange,  wild  spinning-wheel  ditty : 

Henceforward  her  hair  shall  the  tall  Sif  wear. 
Hanging  loose  down  her  white  neck  behind ; 

By  no  envious  braid  shall  it  captive  be  made. 
But  in  native  grace  float  in  the  wind. 

No  swain  shall  it  view  in  the  clear  heaven's  blue, 

But  his  heart  in  its  toils  shall  be  lost ; 
No  goddess,  not  e'en  beauty's  faultless  queen. 

Such  long  glossy  ringlets  shall  boast. 

Though  they  now  seem  dead,  let  them  touch  but  her  head. 

Each  hair  shall  the  life-moisture  fill ; 
Nor  shall  malice  nor  spell  henceforward  prevail 

Sif's  tresses  to  woi'k  aught  of   ill. 


108  TEK    STANZAS   IN    DANISH. 

His  object  attained,  Loke  no  longer  remained 

'Neatli  the  earth,  but  straight  hied  him  to  Thor, 

Who  owned  than  the  hair  ne'er,  sure,  aught  more  fair 
His  eyes  had  e'er  looked  on  before. 

The  boar  Frey  bestrode,  and  away  proudly  rode, 
And  Thor  took  the  ringlets  and  hammer ; 

To  Valhal  they  hied,  where  the  asas  reside, 
'Mid  of   tilting  and  wassal  the  clamor. 

At  a  full  solemn  ting,  Thor  gave  Odin  the  ring. 

And  Loke  his  foul  treachery  pardoned ; 
But  the  pardon  was  vain,  for  his  crimes  soon  again 

Must  do  penance  the  arch-sinner  hardened. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  can  read  Danish,  we 
will  give  in  the  original  the  last  ten  stanzas  of  the 
latter  poem  of  Oehlenschlaiger,  beginning  with  the  spin- 
ning of  Sif's  hair: 

Nu  kom  med  Guldet  en  Dvaergeflok 

Og  gave  det  til  Dvserginden  ; 
Hun  satte,  som  Hor,  det  paa  sin  Rok, 

Hvis  Hjul  hensused  for  Vinden. 

Og  spandt  og  spandt,  mens  Guldtraaden  randt 

Til  Haar  for  den  deilige  Dise ; 
Hun  snurred  og  sang,  ved  Kildernes  Klang, 

En  underlig  Spindevise  : 

Gudinden  i  Vaar  skal  bsere  sit  Haar 

Hel  frit  for  Vinden  herefter, 
Ei  flette  det  mer,  at  yndig  sig  ter 

Dets  Glands  med  straalende  Kraefter. 

Hver  Svend,  som  det  saa,  fra  Himmelens  Blaa, 

Hans  Hjerte  skal  Haarene  fange. 
Selv  Lokker  vist  ei  paa  veneste  Frey 

Nedbolge  saa  blode,  saa  lange. 

Skjont  Guldet  er  dodt,  saasnart  det  har  m6dt 

Gudindens  Tinding,  den  hole, 
Det  levende  blier  og  efter  sig  gier, 

Og  lader,  som  Horren,  sig  boie. 


THE    BRUSH    AND   THE    CHISEL.  109 

Beholder  sin  Glands,  i  Vindenes  Dands, 

Og  lader  sig  aldrig  udrykke ; 
Som  Middagens  Skin,  det  svciber  sig  ind 

Bag  Hjelmens  ludende  Sky gge  ! — 

Saa  sang  hun  og  gik  med  ydmyge  Blik 

For  Thor,  og  rakte  ham  Haaret ; 
Paa  Lokken  han  saa  og  maatte  tilstaa : 

Saa  fager  var  ingen  baaret. 

Fra  Bjerget  valt  nu  Frey  paa  sin  Gait 
Og  Thor  med  Haaret  og  Hammer, 

Til  Valhal  de  for,  hvor  Haerfader  bor 
I  Lysets  salige  Flammer. 

Da  satte  paa  Sif   lig  Tang  paa  et  Rif, 

Sig  fast  Guldhaaret  paa  stande, 
Og  monue  sig  slaa  i  Lokker  saa  smaa. 

Trindt  om  den  hvselvede  Pande. 

Paa  straalende  Thing  fik  Odin  sin  Ring. 

Man  tilgav  Loke  sin  Erode. 
Men  snart  dog  igjen  Bjergtroldenes  Ven 

Maa  for  sin  Troloshed  bode. 

There  remains  now  to  discuss  briefly  whether  the 
Norse  mythology  furnishes  subjects  for  painting  and 
sculpturing.  If  the  reader  has  become  convinced  that 
there  is  material  in  it  worthy  of  the  greatest  poet, 
then  it  is  not  necessary  to  say  much  about  painting 
and  sculpturing ;  for  we  know  that  most  things  that 
can  be  said  in  verse  can  be  made  visible  on  the  can- 
vas, or  be  chiseled  in  marble.  We  shall  therefore  be 
brief  on  this  particular  point,  but  after  the  presen- 
tation of  a  few  subjects  for  the  painter  or  sculptor, 
we   shall    have   something   to   say  about   nude    art. 

Can  the  brush  or  the  chisel  ask  for  more  suggestive 
subjects  than  Odin,  Balder,  Thor,  Frey,  Idun,  Nanna, 
Loke,   etc.?   or    groups    like   the   norns   at   the  Urdar- 


110  THE    BEUSH    AND   THE   CHISEL. 

fountain  ?  or  Urcl  (the  past)  and  Verdande  (the  present), 
who  stretch  from  east  to  west  a  web,  which  is  torn 
to  pieces  by  Skuld  (the  future) ;  the  valkyries  in  the 
heat  of  the  battle  picking  up  tlie  slain ;  or  when  they 
carry  the  fallen  Hakon  Adelsten  to  Valhal?  Cannot 
a  beautiful  picture  be  made  of  ^ger  and  Kan  and  their 
daughters,  the  waves?  of  the  gods  holding  their  feast 
with  iEger  and  sending  out  Thor  to  fetch  a  caldron 
for  them  from  Jotunheim?  or  of  Thor  clapping  the 
pot  on  his  head  like  a  huge  hat  and  walking  off  with 
it  ?  What  more  touching  scene  can  be  perceived 
than  the  death  of  Balder?  Only  in  that  short  poem 
Hamarsheimt  (fetching  the  hammer)  there  are  no  less 
than  three  beautiful  subjects:  (1)  Thor  wakes  up  and 
misses  his  hammer ;  he  feels  around  him  for  it ;  he 
is  surprised  and  hesitates;  he  wrinkles  his  brows  and 
his  head  trembles.  Loke  looks  down  upon  him  from 
above ;  the  rogue  is  in  his  eye ;  he  would  like  to  break 
out  in  a  roar  of  laughter,  but  dare  not.  (3)  All  the 
gods  are  engaged  in  dressing  Thor  in  Frej^ja's  clothes; 
he  is  a  tall  straight  youth  with  golden  hair  and  a 
fine  brown  beard ;  lightning  flashes  from  his  eyes ; 
while  Fulla  puts  on  him  Freyja's  jewels  there  is  a  ter- 
rible conflict  goiug  on  in  his  breast  with  this  humil- 
iation of  his  dignity,  which  he  cannot  overcome.  Loke 
stands  half-ready  near  by  as  maid-servant;  he  dresses 
Thor's  hair  and  is  himself  half-covered  by  the  bridal- 
veil  which  Thor  is  to  wear.  All  take  an  intense 
interest  in  the  work,  for  they  are  so  anxious  to  have 
the  stratagem  succeed.  (3)  The  giants  have  laid  the 
hammer  in  the  lap  of  the  bride ;  Thor  seizes  it,  and 
as  he  pushes  aside  the  veil  he  literally  grows  into  his 
majestic  divinity,  for  whenever  he  wields  his  mighty 
Mjolner    his   strength    is   redoubled.     The   disappointed 


NUDE   ART.  Ill 

desire  of  Tlirym,  the  astounded  giants,  the  amused 
Loke ;  all  furnish  an  endless  variety  of  excellent  ma- 
terial for  the  brush  of  the  painter.  The  plastic  art  can 
find  no  more  exquisite  group  than  Loke  bound  upon 
three  stones,  and  his  loving  wife,  Sigyn,  leaning  over 
him  with  a  dish,  wherein  she  catches  the  drops  of 
venom  that  would  otherwise  fall  into  his  face  and  in- 
tensify his  agonies.  A  volume  of  themes  might  be  pre- 
sented, but  it  is  not  necessary.  Suffice  it  then  to  say 
that  for  poetry,  painting  and  the  plastic  arts,  there  is 
in  the  Norse  mythology  a  fountain  of  delight  whose 
waters  but  few  have  tasted,  but  which  no  man  can 
drain    dry. 

We  promised  to  say  something  n-bout  nude  art.  It 
is  this :  We  Goths  are,  and  have  forever  been,  a  chaste 
race.  We  abhor  the  loathsome  nudity  of  Greek  art. 
We  do  not  want  nude  figures,  at  least  not  unless  they 
embody  some  very  sublime  thought.  The  people  of 
southern  Europe  difler  widely  from  us  Northerners  in 
this  respect ;  and  this  difierence  reaches  far  back  into  our 
respective  mythologies,  adding  additional  proof  to  the 
fact  that  the  myths  foreshadow  the  social  life  of  a  nation 
or  race  of  people.  The  Greek  gods  were  generally  con- 
ceived as  nude,  and  hence  Greek  art  would  naturally  be 
nude  also.  Whether  the  licentiousness  and  lascivious- 
ness  of  the  Greek  communities  were  the  primary  causes 
of  the  unajsthetical  features  of  their  mythology  or  their 
Bacchanalian  revels  sprang  from  the  mythology,  it  is 
difficult  to  determine.  We  undoiibtedly  come  nearest 
the  truth  when  we  say  that  the  same  primeval  causes 
produced  both  the  social  life  and  mythology  of  the 
Greeks ;  that  there  thenceforward  was  an  active  recip- 
rocating influence  between  the  religion  on  the  one  side 
and   the   jDopular   life  on   the   other,   an    influence   that 


ll;i  THE    GEKM   OF   THE    FAITH. 

we  may  liken  unto  that  which  operates  between  the 
soul  and  the  body  ;  and  thus  it  may  be  said  that  the  my- 
thology and  the  popular  life  combined  produced  their 
nude  art.  To  say  that  the  popular  character  of  the 
Greeks,  taken  individually  or  collectively,  was  stimu- 
lated into  life  by  their  mythology ;  that  the  virtues 
and  the  vices  of  the  people  originated  in  it  alone; 
would  certainly  be  an  incorrect  and  one-sided  view  of 
the  subject.  The  Greeks  brought  with  them,  from  their 
original  home  into  Greece,  the  germs  of  that  faith  which 
afterwards  became  developed  in  a  certain  direction  under 
the  influence  of  the  popular  life  and  the  action  of 
external  circumstances  upon  that  life,  but  which  in  turn 
reacted  upon  the  popular  life  with  a  power  which 
increased  in  proportion  as  the  system  of  mythology 
acquired  by  development  a  more  decided  character. 
The  same  is  true  of  the  Norsemen  and  of  the  Goths 
in  general.  When  it  is  found,  for  instance,  that  the 
mythological  representation  of  Odin  as  father  of  the 
slain  (Val-father),  and  that  Valhal  (the  hall  of  the  slain), 
the  Valkyries  and  einherjes,  contain  a  strong  incentive 
to  warlike  deeds,  then  it  must  not  be  imagined  that  this 
martial  spirit,  that  displayed  itself  so  powerfully  among 
the  Goths  generally,  and  among  the  Norsemen  particu- 
larly, was  the  offspring  of  the  mythology  of  our  ances- 
tors; but  we  may  rather  conceive  that  the  Norsemen 
were  from  the  beginning  a  race  of  remarkable  physical 
power,  that  accidental  external  causes,  such  as  severe 
climate,  mountainous  country,  conflicts  with  neighbor- 
ing peoples,  etc.,  brought  this  inherent  physical  force 
into  activity  and  thus  awakened  the  warlike  spirit;  and 
then  it  may  be  said  that  this  martial  spirit  stamped 
itself  upon  their  religious  ideas,  upon  their  mythology, 
and  finally  that  the  mythology,  when   it  had  received 


WE    GOTHS   ARE   A    CHASTE    RACE,  113 

this  characteristic  impress  from  the  people,  again  reacted 
to  preserve  and  even  further  iniiame  that  martial  spirit. 
And  there  is  no  inconsistency  between  this  view  of  the 
subject  and  that  which  was  presented  in  the  third 
chapter. 

It  was  said  at  the  outset  that  we  Goths  are  a  chaste 
race,  and  abhor  the  loathsome  nudity  of  Greek  art. 
We  were  a  chaste  people  before  our  fathers  came  under 
the  influence  of  Christianity.  The  Elder  Edda,  which 
is  the  grand  depository  of  the  Norse  mythology,  may 
be  searched  through  and  through,  and  there  will  not 
be  found  a  single  nude  myth,  not  an  impersonation  of 
any  kind  that  can  be  considered  an  outrage  upon  virtue 
or  a  violation  of  the  laws  of  propriety;  and  this  feat- 
ure of  the  Odinic  religion  deserves  to  be  urged  as  an 
important  reason  why  our  painters  and  sculptors  should 
look  at  home  for  something  wherewith  to  employ  their 
talent,  before  they  go  abroad ;  look  in  our  own  ancient 
Gothic  history,  before  going  to  ancient  Greece. 

But  the  artist  who  is  going  to  chisel  out  an  Odin, 
a  Thor,  a  Balder,  a  Nanna,  or  a  Loke,  must  not  be  a 
mere  imitator.  He  must  possess  a  creative  mind.  He 
must  not  go  to  work  at  a  piece  of  Norse  art  with  his 
imagination  full  of  Greek  myths,  much  less  must  he 
attempt  to  apply  Greek  principles  to  a  piece  of  Gothic 
art.  He  will  find  the  Norse  chisel  a  somewhat  more 
ponderous  weapon  to  swing;  and  you  cannot  turn  as 
rapidly  with  a  railroad  car  as  you  can  with  a  French 
fiacre  or  American  gig.  To  try  to  chisel  out  the  gods 
of  our  forefathers  after  South  European  patterns  would 
be  like  attempting  to  Avrite  English  with  the  mind  full 
of  Latin  syntax.  Hence  we  repeat,  that  we  do  not 
want  an  imitator,  but  an  original  genius.  Greek  my- 
thology has  been  presented  so  many  times,  and  so  well, 
10 


114  DR.   JOHN    BASCOM. 

that  the  imitation,  the  repetition,  is  comparatively  easy. 
He  who  would  bring  out  Gothic  art  (and  but  little  of 
it  has  hitherto  been  brought  out)  must  himself  be  a 
poet,  and  what  a  mine  of  wealth  there  is  open  to  him ! 
Would  that  genuine  art  fever  would  attack  our  artists 
and  that  some  of  the  treasures  that  lie  hid  in  the 
granite  quarries  of  the  Norse  mythology  might  speedily 
be  exhumed! 

In  his  work,  entitled  Science  of  Beauty,  Dr.  John 
Bascom  has  taken  decided  grounds  against  nude  figures 
in  art.  We  would  recommend  the  eighth  chapter  of 
that  work  to  the  careful  consideration  of  the  reader. 
We  are  not  able  for  want  of  space  to  give  his  opinion 
in  full,  but  make  the  following  brief  extract: 

There  is  oue  direction  in  which  art  has  indulged  itself  in  a 
most  marked  violation  of  propriety,  and  that  too  on  the  side  of 
vice.  I  refer  to  the  frequent  nudity  of  its  figures.  This  is  a 
point  upon  which  artists  have  been  pretty  unanimous,  and  dis- 
posed to  treat  the  opinions  of  others  with  7u(uteur  and  disdain, 
as  arising  at  best  from  a  virtue  more  itching  and  sensitive  than 
wise,  from  instincts  more  physical  than  aesthetical.  This  practice 
has  been  more  abused  in  painting  than  in  sculpture,  both  as  less 
needed,  and  hence  less  justifiable,  and  as  ever  tending  to  become 
more  loose  and  lustful  in  the  double  symbols  of  color  and  form, 
than  when  confined  to  the  pure,  stern  use  of  the  latter  in  stone 
or  metal.  Despite  alleged  necessities, —  despite  the  high-toned 
claims  and  undisguised  contempt  of  artists, —  our  convictions  are 
strongly  against  the  practice,  as  alike  injurious  to  taste  and 
morals.  Indeed,  if  injurious  to  morals,  it  cannot  be  otherwise 
than  injurious  to  taste,  since  art  has  no  more  dangerous  enemy 
than  a  lascivious  perverted  fancy. 

Nay,  in  the  radiant  dawn  of  our  Gothic  history 
our  poets  and  artists  may,  if  they  would  but  look  for 
them,  find  chaste  themes  to  which  they  may  consecrate 
the  whole  ardor  of  their  souls  for  the  a^sthetical  eleva- 
tion and  ennoblement  of  our  race.     As  a  people  we  are 


WE    ARE    GROAVING    TOO    PROSAIC.  115 

growing  too  prosaic  and,  therefore,  too  ungodly ;  we 
nourish  the  tender  minds  of  our  children  too  early  and 
too  extensively  on  dry  reasoning,  mathematics  and  phil- 
osophy, instead  of  strengthening,  stimulating  and  beauti- 
fying their  souls  with  some  of  the  poetic  thoughts,  some 
of  the  mythology  and  folk-lore  of  our  forefathers.  These 
mythological  stories,  these  fairy  tales  and  all  this  folk- 
lore, illuminated  by  the  genial  rays  of  the  Christian 
religion  shining  upon  them,  should  be  made  available 
in  our  families  and  schools,  by  our  poets,  painters  and 
sculptors,  and  then  our  children  would  in  turn  get  their 
aesthetical  natures  developed  so  as  to  be  able  to  beautify 
their  own  life  and  that  of  their  posterity  with  still 
finer  productions  in  poetry,  painting,  and  sculpture. 


CHAPTER   VII. 


THE    SOURCES   OF   NORSE   MYTHOLOGY  AND 
INFLUENCE   OF   THE  ASA-FAITH. 

IN  order  to  thoroughly  comprehend  the  Odinic  mythol- 
ogy it  is  necessary  to  make  a  careful  study  of  the 
history,  literature,  languages  and  dialects  of  the  Teu- 
tonic races  and  of  their  popular  life  in  all  its  various 
manifestations. 

The  chief  depositories  of  the  Norse  mythology  are 
the  Elder  or  Samund's  Edda  (poetry)  and  the  Younger 
or  Snorre's  Edda  (prose).  In  Icelandic  Edda  means 
great-grandmother,  and  some  think  this  appellation  re- 
fers to  the  ancient  origin  of  the  myths  it  contains. 
Others  connect  it  with  the  Indian  Veda  and  the  Norse 
vide  (Swedish  veta,  to  know). 

I.  Tlte  Elder  Edda. 

This  work  was  evidently  collected  from  the  mouths 
of  the  people  in  the  same  manner  as  Homer's  Iliad, 
and  there  is  a  similar  nncertaint}^  in  regard  to  who  put  it 
in  writing.  It  has  generally  been  supposed  that  the  songs 
of  the  Elder  Edda  were  collected  by  Sgemund  the  "Wise 
(born  1056,  died  1133),  but  Sophus  Bugge  and  N.  M. 
Petersen,  both  eminent  Icelandic  scholars,  have  made 
it  seem  quite  probable  that  it  was  not  put  in  writing 
before  the  year  1240.  This  is  not  the  place  for  a  discus- 
sion of  this  difficult  question,  and  the  reader  is  referred 
to  Sophus  Bugge's  Introduction  to  Scmiundar  Edda  and 

(116) 


THE   ELDEK   EDDA.  117 

to  Petersen's  History  of  Northern  Literature,  if  he  wishes 
to  investigiite  this  subject.  There  are  thirty-nine  poems 
in  the  Elder  Edda,  and  we  have  here  to  look  at  their 
contents.  Like  the  most  of  the  Icelandic  poetry,  these 
poems  do  not  distinguish  themselves,  as  does  the  poetry  of 
Greece  and  Eome,  by  a  metrical  system  based  on  quan- 
tity, but  have  an  arrangement  of  their  own  in  common 
with  the  poetry  of  the  other  old  Gothic  nations,  the  Anglo- 
Saxons,  etc.  This  system  consists  chiefly  in  the  num- 
ber of  long  syllables  and  in  alliteration.  The  songs  are 
divided  into  strophes  commonly  containing  eight  verses 
or  lines.  These  strophes  are  usually  divided  into  two 
halves,  and  each  of  these  halves  again  into  two  parts, 
which  form  a  fourth  part  of  the  whole  strophe,  and 
contain  two  verses  belonging  together  and  united  by 
alliteration. 

The  alliteration  (letter  rhyme)  is  the  most  essential 
element  in  Icelandic  versification.  It  is  found  in  all 
kinds  of  verse  and  in  every  age,  the  Icelanders  still 
using  it;  and  its  nature  is  this,  that  in  the  two  lines 
belonging  together,  three  words  occur  beginning  with 
the  same  letter,  two  of  which  must  be  in  the  first 
line  and  the  third  in  the  beginning  of  the  second. 
The  third  and  last  of  these  is  called  the  chief  letter 
{ho/H^stafi;  head-stave),  because  it  is  regarded  as  ruling 
over  the  two  others  which  depend  on  it  and  have  the 
name  sub-letters  {studlar,  supporters).  All  rhyme-let- 
ters must  be  found  in  accented  syllables,  and  no  more 
Avords  in  the  two  lines  should  begin  with  the  same 
letter — at  least  no  chief  word,  which  takes  the  accent 
on  the  first  syllable.  This  principle  is  illustrated  by 
the  folloAving  first  half  of  the  seventh  strophe  of  Vo- 
luspa,  the  oldest  song  in  the  Elder  Edda : 


118  ICELANDIC    POETRY. 

TeMu.  i  tnni, 
Teitir  varu ; 
Far  J)eim  wettugis 
Fant  or  gulli. 

Free  version  in  English : 

With  golden  tablets  in  the  ^'arden 

Glad  they  played, 
Nor  wa,s  there  to  the  -yaliaut  gods. 

TFant  of  gold. 

The  rhyme-letters  here  are  those  in  italics. 

The  poems  of  the  Elder  Edda  are  in  no  special 
connection  one  with  the  other,  and  they  may  be  di- 
vided into  three  classes:  purely  mythological,  mytho- 
logical-didactic, and  mythological-historical  poems. 

The  Elder  Edda  presents  the  Norse  cosmogony, 
the  doctrines  of  the  Odinic  mythology,  and  the  lives 
and  doings  of  the  gods.  It  contains  also  a  cycle 
of  poems  on  the  demi-gods  and  mythic  heroes  and 
heroines  of  the  same  period.  It  gives  ns  as  complete 
a  view  of  the  mythological  world  of  the  North  as 
Homer  and  Hesiod  do  of  that  of  Greece.  But  (to  use 
in  part  the  language  of  the  Howitts)  it  presents  this 
to  us  not  as  Homer  does,  worked  up  into  one  great 
poem,  hut  as  the  rhapsodists  of  Greece  presented  to 
Homer's  hands  the  materials  for  that  great  poem  in 
the  various  hymns  and  ballads  of  the  fall  of  Troy, 
which  they  sung  all  over  Greece.  No  Homer  ever 
arose  in  Norseland  to  mould  all  these  sublime  lyrics 
of  the  Elder  Edda  into  one  lordly  epic.  The  story  of 
Siegfried  and  Brynhild,  which  occupies  the  latter  por- 
tion of  the  Elder  Edda,  was,  in  later  times  in  Germany 
moulded  into  the  great  and  beautiful  Niebelun gen- Lied ; 
although   it  was  much   altered  by  the   German  poet  or 


THE    ELDEK    EDDA.  319 

by  German  tradition.  The  poems  of  the  Elder  Edda 
show  us  what  the  myths  of  Greece  would  have  been 
without  a  Homer.  They  remain  huge,  wild  and  frag- 
mentary; full  of  strange  gaps  rent  into  their  very  vitals 
by  the  strokes  of  rude  centuries;  yet  like  the  ruin  of 
the  Colosseum  or  the  temples  of  Paistum,  standing  aloft 
amid  the  daylight  of  the  present  time,  magnificent  testi- 
monials of  the  stupendous  genius  of  the  race  which 
reared  them.  There  is  nothing  besides  the  Bible, 
which  sits  in  a  divine  tranquillity  of  unapproachable 
nobility  like  a  king  of  kings  amongst  all  other  books, 
and  the  poem  of  Homer  itself,  which  can  compare 
in  all  the  elements  of  greatness  with  the  Edda.  There 
is  a  loftiness  of  stature,  and  a  firmness  of  muscle 
about  it  which  no  poets  of  the  same  race  have  ever 
since  reached.  The  only  production  since,  that  can 
be  compared  with  the  Elder  Edda  in  profoundness  of 
thought,  is  that  of  Shakespeare,  the  Hercules  or  Thor 
in  English  literature,  that  heroic  mind  of  divine  line- 
age which  passed  through  the  hell-gates  of  the  Roman 
school-system  unscathed.  The  obscurity  which  still 
hangs  over  some  parts  of  the  Elder  Edda,  like  the  deep 
shadows  crouching  amid  the  ruins  of  the  past,  is  the 
result  of  neglect,  and  will  in  due  time  be  removed; 
but  amid  this  stand  forth  the  boldest  masses  of  intel- 
lectual masonry.  We  are  astonished  at  the  Avisdom 
which  is  shaped  into  maxims,  and  at  the  tempestuous 
strength  of  passions  to  which  all  modern  emotions  seem 
puny  and  constrained.  Amid  the  bright  sun-light  of 
a  fai'-off  time,  surrounded  by  the  densest  shadows  of 
forgotten  ages,  we  come  at  once  into  the  midst  of  gods 
and  heroes,  goddesses  and  fair  women,  giants  and  dwarfs, 
moving  about  in  a  world  of  wonderful  construction, 
unlike    any    other    world    or    creation    which    God    has 


120  THE    ELDER   EDDA. 

founded  or  man  has  imagined,  but  still  beautiful  be- 
yond conception. 

The  Elder  Edda  opens  with  Voluspa  (the  vala's 
prophecy),  and  this  song  may  be  regarded  as  one  of 
the  oldest,  if  not  the  oldest,  poetic  monument  of  the 
North.  In  it  the  mysterious  vala,  or  prophetess,  seated 
somewhere  unseen  in  the  marvelous  heaven,  sings  an 
awful  song  of  the  birth  of  gods  and  men ;  of  the  great 
Ygdrasil,  or  Tree  of  Existence,  whose  roots  and  branches 
extend  through  all  regions  of  space,  and  concludes  her 
thrilling  hymn  with  the  terrible  Ragnarok,  or  Twilight 
of  the  gods,  when  Odin  and  the  other  gods  perish  in 
the  flames  that  devour  all  creation,  and  the  new  heavens 
and  new  earth  rise  beautifully  green  to  receive  the  reign 
of  Balder  and  of  milder  natures. 

The  second  song  in  the  Elder  Edda  is  Havamal  (the 
high-song  of  Odin).  Odin  himself  is  represented  as  its 
author.  It  contains  a  pretty  complete  code  of  Odinic 
morality  and  precepts  of  wisdom.  The  moral  and  social 
axioms  that  are  brought  together  in  Hiivamal  will  sur- 
prise the  reader,  who  has  been  accustomed  to  regard  the 
Norsemen  as  a  rude  and  half  wild  race,  hunting  in  the 
savage  forests  of  the  North,  or  scouring  the  coasts  of 
Europe  in  quest  of  plunder.  They  contain  a  profound 
knowledge,  not  merely  of  human  nature,  but  of  human 
nature  in  its  various  social  and  domestic  relations.  They 
are' more  like  the  proverbs  of  Solomon  than  anything  in 
human  literature. 

The  third  poem  in  the  Elder  Edda  is  Vafthrudnismal 
(that  is,  Vafthrudner's  speech  or  song).  Vafthrudner  is 
derived  from  vaf,  a  Aveb  or  weaving,  and  thrndr,  strong ; 
hence  Vafthrudner  is  the  powerful  weaver,  the  one  power- 
ful in  riddles,  and  it  is  the  name  of  a  giant,  who  in  the 
first  part  of   the  poem  propounds  a  series  of  intricate 


THE    ELDER   EDDA.  121 

questions  or  riddles.  Odin  tells  his  wife  Frigg  that  he 
desires  to  visit  the  all-wise  giant  Vafthrudner,  to  find 
out  from  him  the  secrets  of  the  past  and  measure  strength 
with  him.  Frigg  advises  him  not  to  undertake  this 
journey,  saying  that  she  considers  Vafthrudner  the 
strongest  of  all  giants.  Odin  reminds  her  of  his  many 
perilous  adventures  and  experiences,  arguing  that  these 
are  sufficient  to  secure  him  in  his  curiosity  to  see  Vaf- 
thrudner's  halls.  Frigg  wishes  him  a  prosperous  jour- 
ney and  safe  return,  and  also  the  necessary  presence  of 
mind  at  his  meeting  with  the  giant.  Odin  then  pro- 
ceeds on  his  journey  and  enters  the  halls  of  Vafthrudner 
in  the  guise  of  a  mortal  wayfarer,  by  name  Gangraad. 
He  greets  the  lord  of  the  house,  and  says  he  is  come  to 
learn  whether  he  was  a  wise  or  omniscient  giant.  Such 
an  address  vexes  Vafthrudner,  coming  as  it  did  from  a 
stranger,  and  he  soon  informs  Gangraad  that  if  he  is 
not  wiser  than  himself  he  shall  not  leave  the  hall  alive. 
But  the  giant,  finding,  after  he  had  asked  the  stranger 
a  few  questions,  that  he  really  had  a  worthy  antagonist 
in  his  presence,  invites  him  to  take  a  seat,  and  challenges 
him  to  enter  into  a  disputation,  that  they  might  measure 
their  intellectual  strength,  on  the  condition  that  the  van- 
quished party  —  the  one  unable  to  answer  a  question  jout 
to  him  by  the  other  —  should  forfeit  his  head.  Odin 
accepts  this  dangerous  challenge.  They  accordingly  dis- 
cuss, by  question  and  answer,  the  principal  topics  of 
Norse  mythology.  The  pretended  Gangraad  asks  the 
giant  many  questions,  which  the  latter  answers  correctly ; 
but  when  the  former  at  length  asks  his  adversary  what 
Odin  whispered  in  the  ear  of  his  son  Balder  before  he 
had  been  placed  on  the  funeral  pile  —  a  question  by 
which  the  astonished  giant  becomes  aware  that  his  an- 
tagonist is  Odin  himself,  who  was  alone  capable  of 
11 


122  THE    ELDER    EDDA. 

answering  it, —  the  giant  acknowledges  himself  van- 
quished, and  sees  with  terror  that  he  cannot  avoid  the 
death  which  he  in  his  cruel  pride  had  intended  to  inflict 
upon  an  innocent  wanderer. 

The  fourth  song  is  Grimnisinal  (the  song  of  Grim- 
ner).  It  begins  with  a  preface  in  prose,  in  which  it  is 
related  that  Odin,  under  the  name  of  Grimner,  visited 
his  foster-son  Geirrod,  and  the  latter,  deceived  by  a  false 
representation  by  Frigg,  takes  him  for  a  sorcerer,  makes 
him  sit  between  two  fires  and  pine  there  without  nour- 
ishment for  eight  days,  until  Agnar,  the  king's  son, 
reaches  him  a  drinking-horn.  Hereupon  Grimner  sings 
the  song  which  bears  his  name.  Lamenting  his  con- 
finement and  blessing  Agnar,  he  goes  on  to  picture  the 
twelve  abodes  of  the  gods  and  the  splendors  of  Valhal, 
which  he  describes  at  length,  and  then  speaks  of  the 
mythological  world-tree  Ygdrasil,  of  the  valkyries,  of 
the  giant  Ymer,  of  the  ship  Skidbladner,  and  adds 
various  other  cosmological  explanations. 

The  fifth  song  is  Skirnismal,  or  For  Skirnis  (the 
journey  of  Skirner).  This  gives  in  the  form  of  a  dia- 
logue the  story  of  Frey  and  Gerd,  of  his  love  to  her, 
and  his  wooing  her  through  the  agency  of  his  faithful 
servant  Skirner,  after  whom  the  song  is  named. 

The  sixth  is  the  Lay  of  Harbard.  It  is  a  dialogue 
between  Thor  and  the  ferryman  Harbard,  who  refuses 
to  carry  him  over  the  stream.  This  furnishes  an  occa- 
sion for  each  of  them  to  recount  his  exploits.  They 
contrast  their  deeds  and  exploits.  The  contest  is  con- 
tinued without  interruption  until  near  the  end  of  the 
poem,  where  Thor  finally  oflfers  a  compromise,  again  re- 
questing to  be  taken  over  the  river.  Harbard,  who  is 
in  fact  Odin,  again  refuses  in  decided  terms.  Then 
Thor  asks  him  to  show  him  another  way.     This  request 


THE    ELDER    EDDA.  123 

Harbard  seems  in  a  manner  to  comply  with,  but  refers 
Thor  to  Fjorg-yn,  his  mother.  Thor  asks  how  far  it 
is,  but  Harbard  makes  enigmatical  answers.  Thor 
ends  the  conversation  with  threats  and  Harbard  with 
evil  wishes. 

The  seventh  poem  is  the  Song  of  Hymer.  The  gods 
of  Asgard  are  invited  to  a  banquet  with  the  sea-god 
^Eger.  Thor  goes  to  the  giant  Hymer  for  a  large  ket- 
tle, in  which  to  brew  ale  for  the  occasion.  When  Thor 
has  arrived  at  the  home  of  Hymer  he  persuades  the 
giant  to  take  him  along  on  a  fishing  expedition,  in 
which  Thor  fishes  up  the  Midgard-serpent,  which  he 
would  have  killed  had  it  not  been  for  Hymer,  who  cut 
off  the  fish-line.  Thor  succeeds  in  carrying  off  the 
kettle,  but  has  to  slay  Hymer  and  other  giants  who 
pursue  him. 

The  eighth  is  Lokasenna  (or  Loke's  quarrel.)  This 
poem  has  a  preface  in  prose.  This  is  also  a  banquet  at 
^ger's.  It  takes  place  immediately  after  Balder's  death, 
Loke  was  present.  He  slew  one  of  ^ger's  servants  and 
bad  to  flee  to  the  woods,  but  soon  returns,  enters  ^ger's 
hall,  and  immediately  begins  to  abuse  the  gods  in  the 
most  shameful  manner:  first  Brage,  then  Idnn,  Gefjun, 
Odin,  Frigg,  Freyja,  Njord,  and  the  others,  until  Thor 
finally  appears  and  drives  him  away.  There  is  a  prose 
conclusion  to  this  poem,  describing  Loke's  punishment. 
A  profound  tragedy  characterizes  this  poem.  Although 
Loke  is  abusive,  he  still  speaks  the  truth,  and  he  ex- 
poses all  the  faults  of  the  gods,  which  foreshadow  their 
final  fall.  Peace  disappeared  with  the  death  of  Balder, 
and  the  gods,  conscious  that  Ragnarok  is  inevita])le, 
are  overpowered  by  distraction  and  sorrow. 

The  ninth  poem  is  the  Song  of  Thrym.  This  gives 
an  account  of  the  loss  of  Thor's  hammer,  and  tells  how 


124  THE    ELDER    EDDA. 

Loke  helped  him  to  get  it  back  from  the  giant  Thrym. 

The  tenth  is  the  Song  of  Alvis  (the  all-wise).  Alvis 
comes  for  Thor's  daughter  as  his  bride.  Thor  cunningly 
detains  him  all  night  by  asking  him  questions  concern- 
ing the  various  worlds  he  has  visited.  Alvis  answers 
and  teaches  him  the  names  by  which  the  most  impor- 
tant things  in  nature  are  called  in  the  respective  lan- 
guages of  different  worlds:  of  men,  of  the  gods,  of  the 
vans,  of  the  giants,  of  the  elves,  of  the  dwarfs,  and 
finally  of  the  realms  of  the  dead  and  of  the  supreme 
god.  The  dwarf,  being  one  of  those  mythical  objects 
which  cannot  endure  the  light  of  day,  was  detained  till 
dawn  without  accomplishing  his  object. 

The  eleventh  poem  is  Vegtam's  Lay.  Odin  assumes 
the  name  Vegtam.  In  order  to  arrive  at  certainty  con- 
cerning the  portentous  future  of  the  gods,  he  descends 
to  Niflheim,  goes  into  the  abodes  of  Hel,  and  calls  the 
vala  up  from  her  grave-mound,  asking  her  about  the 
fate  of  Balder.  She  listens  to  him  indignantly,  answers 
his  questions  unwillingly,  but  at  last  discovers  that  Veg- 
tam is  the  king  of  the  gods,  and  angrily  tells  him  to 
ride  home. 

We  will  omit  a  synopsis  of  the  remainder,  and 
merely  give  their  titles,  as  they  do  not  enter  so  com- 
pletely into  the  system  of  mythology  as  the  first  eleven : 
(12)  Kigsmaal  (Song  of  Rig),  (13)  The  Lay  of  Hyndla, 
(14)  The  Song  of  Volund,  (15)  The  Song  of  Helge  Hjor- 
vardson,  (16)  Song  of  Helge  Hundingsbane  I,  (17)  Song 
of  Helge  Hundingsbane  II,  (18)  Song  of  Sigurd  Fafnis- 
bane  I,  (19)  Song  of  Sigurd  Fafnisbane  II,  (20)  Song 
of  Fafner,  (21)  Song  of  Sigdrifii,  (22)  Song  of  Sigurd, 
(23)  Song  of  Gudrun  I,  (24)  Song  of  Gudrun  III,  (25) 
Brynhild's  Eide  to  Hel,  (26)  Song  of  Gudrun  II,  (27) 
Song  of  Gudrun  III,  (28)  The  Weeping  of  Odrun,  (29) 


THE    ELDEK    EDDA.  125 

The  Son-g  of  Atle,  (30)  The  Speech  of  Atle,  (31)  The 
Challenge  of  Gudrun,  (32)  The  Song  of  Hamder,  (33) 
The  Song  of  Grotte,  (34)  Extracts  from  the  Younger 
Edda,  (35)  Extracts  from  the  Volsunga  Saga,  (36)  Song 
of  Svipdag  I,  (37)  Song  of  Svipdag  II,  (38)  The  Lay 
of  the  Sun,  (39)  Odin's  Eaven-Cry. 

The  antiquity  of  these  poems  cannot  be  fixed,  but 
they  certainly  carry  us  back  to  the  remotest  period  of 
the  settlement  of  Norway  by  the  Goths. 

It  may  be  added  here  that  many  of  the  poems  of  the 
Elder  Edda,  as  well  as  much  of  the  Old  Norse  poetry 
generally,  are  very  difficult  to  understand,  on  account 
of  the  bold  metaphorical  language  in  which  they  are 
written.  The  poet  did  not  call  an  object  by  its  usual 
name,  but  borrowed  a  figure  by  which  to  present  it, 
either  from  the  mythology  or  from  some  other  source. 
Thus  he  would  call  the  sky  the  skull  of  the  giant  Ymer  ; 
tlie  rainbow  he  called  the  bridge  of  the  gods;  gold  was 
the  tears  of  Freyja;  poetry,  the  2}resent  or  drinh  of  Odin. 
The  earth  was  called  indifferently  the  ivife  of  Odin,  the 
flesh  of  Ymer,  the  daughter  of  night,  the  vessel  that 
floats  on  the  ages,  or  the  foundation  of  the  air;  herbs 
and  plants  were  called  the  hair  or  the  fleece  of  the 
earth.  A  battle  was  called  a  hath  of  blood,  the  hail  of 
Odin,  the  shock  of  bucklers;  the  sea  was  termed  the 
fleld  of  pirates,  the  girdle  of  the  earth ;  ice,  the  greatest 
of  all  bridges;  a  ship,  the  horse  of  the  waves;  the 
tongue,   the  sivord  of  words,   etc. 

II.  The  Yotmger  Edda, 

written  by  Snorre  Sturleson,  the  author  of  the  famous 
Hcimskringla  (born  1178,  died  1241),  is  mostly  prose,  and 
may  be  regarded  as  a  sort  of  commentary  upon  the 
Elder  Edda.     The  prose   Edda  consists  of  two  parts: 


12G     Beowulf's  drapa  and  niebelungen-lied. 

Gylfaginning  (the  deluding  of  Gylfe),  and  tlie  Bragarse- 
8ur  or  Skiildskaparmal  (the  conversations  of  Brage,  the 
god  of  poetry,  or  the  treatise  on  poetry).  Gylfaginning 
tells  how  the  Swedish  king  Gylfe  makes  a  journey  to 
Asgard,  the  abode  of  the  gods,  where  Odin  instructs 
him  in  the  old  faith,  and  gradually  relates  to  him 
the  myths  of  the  Norsemen.  Tlie  manner  in  which 
the  whole  is  told  reminds  us  of  A  TJiousand  and  One 
Nights,  or  of  poems  from  a  later  time,  as  for  instance 
Boccaccio's  Decameron.  It  is  a  prose  synopsis  of  the 
whole  Asa  faith,  with  here  and  there  a  quotation 
from  the  Elder  Edda  by  way  of  elucidation.  It  shows 
a  great  deal  of  ingenuity  and  talent  on  the  part  of 
its  author,  and  is  the  most  perspicuous  and  clear 
presentation    of  the   mythology   that   we   possess. 

But  all  the  material  for  the  correct  presentation 
of  the  Norse  mythology  is  not  found  in  the  Eddas; 
or  rather  we  do  not  perfectly  understand  the  Eddas, 
if  we  confine  our  studies  to  them  alone.  For  a  full 
comprehension  of  the  myths,  it  is  necessary  to  study 
carefully  all  the  semi-mythological  Icelandic  Sagas, 
which  constitute  a  respectable  library  by  themselves; 
and  in  connection  with  these  we  must  read  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  Beowulf's  Drapa,  and  the  German  Niehelungen- 
Lied.  In  the  next  place,  we  must  examine  carefully 
all  the  folk-lore  of  the  Gothic  race,  and  we  must,  in 
short,  study  the  manifestations  of  the  Gothic  mind 
and  spirit  everywhere :  in  the  development  of  the 
State  and  of  the  Church,  in  their  poetry  and  history, 
in  their  various  languages  and  numerous  dialects,  in 
their  literature,  in  their  customs  and  manners,  and 
in  their  popular  belief  If  we  neglect  all  these  we 
shall  never  understand  the  Eddas;  if  we  neglect  the 
Eddas  we  shall  never  understand  the  other  sources  of 


INFLUENCE    OF   THE    NORSE   MYTHOLOGY.  127 

mythology.  They  mutually  explain  each  other,  and 
the  Gothic  race  must  sooner  or  later  begin  to  study 
its   own   history. 

That  the  Odinic  mythology  exercised  a  mighty  in- 
fluence in  forming  the  national  character  of  the  Norse- 
men, becomes  evident  when  we  compare  the  doctrines 
of  their  faith  with  the  popular  life  as  portrayed  in  the 
Sagas.  Still  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  this  national 
spirit  was  not  created  by  this  faitli.  The  harsh  cli- 
mate of  the  North  modified  not  only  the  Norse  my- 
thology, but  also  moulded  indefinitely  the  national 
character,  and  then  the  two,  the  mythology  and  the 
national  character,  acted  and  reacted  ujDon  each  other. 
Thus  bred  up  to  fight  with  nature  in  a  constant 
battle  for  existence,  and  witnessing  the  same  struggle 
in  the  life  of  his  gods,  the  Norseman  became  fearless, 
honest  and  truthful,  ready  to  smite  and  ready  to  for- 
give, shrinking  not  from  pain  himself  and  careless 
about  inflicting  it  on  others.  Beholding  in  external 
nature  and  in  his  mythology  the  struggle  of  conflict- 
ing forces,  he  naturally  looked  on  life  as  a  field  for 
warfare.  The  ice-bound  fjords  and  desolate  fells,  the 
mournful  wail  of  the  waving  pine-branches,  the  stern 
strife  of  frost  and  fire,  the  annual  death  of  the  short- 
lived summer,  made  the  Norseman  sombre,  if  not 
gloomy,  in  his  thoughts,  and  inured  him  to  the  rugged 
independence  of  the  country.  The  sternness  of  the  land 
in  which  he  lived  was  reflected  in  his  character;  the 
latter  was  in  turn  reflected  in  the  tales  which  he 
told  of  his  gods  and  heroes,  and  thus  the  Norseman 
and  his   mythology   mutually   influenced   each   other. 

The  influence  of  the  Asa  faith,  says  Prof.  Keyser, 
upon  the  popular  spirit  of  the  Norsemen,  must  be  re- 
garded   from    quite    another    point  of  view   than   that 


128  INFLUEXCE    OF   THE   ASA   FAITH. 

of  Christianity  at  a  later  period.  The  Asa  faith  was, 
so  to  speak,  inborn  with  the  Norsemen,  as  it  had  de- 
veloped itself  from  certain  germs  and  assumed  form 
with  the  popular  life  almost  unconsciously  to  the  latter. 
Christianity,  on  the  oth^r  hand,  was  given  to  the  people 
as  a  religious  system  complete  in  itself,  intended  for 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth;  one  which  by  its  own 
divine  power  opened  for  itself  a  way  to  conviction,  and 
through  that  conviction  operated  on  the  popular  spirit 
in  a  direction  previously  pointed  out  by  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  the  religion  itself.  As  the  system 
of  the  Asa  faith  arose  without  any  conscious  object  of 
affecting  the  morals,  therefore  it  did  not  embrace  any 
actual  code  of  morals  in  the  higher  sense  of  this  term. 
The  Asa  doctrine  does  not  pronounce  by  positive  ex- 
pression what  is  virtue  and  what  is  vice ;  it  presupposes 
a  consciousness  thereof  in  its  votaries.  It  only  repre- 
sents virtue  as  reaping  its  own  rewards  and  vice  its 
own  punishment,  if  not  here  upon  the  earth,  then 
with  certainty  beyond   the   grave.     Thus  Keyser. 

The  Norse  system  of  mythology  embodied  the  doc- 
trine of  an  imperishable  soul  in  man;  it  had  Vallial 
and  Gimle  set  apart  for  and  awaiting  the  brave  and 
virtuous,  and  Helheim  and  Naastrand  for  the  wicked. 

The  moral  and  social  maxims  of  the  Norsemen  are 
represented  as  being  uttered  by  Odin  himself  in  the 
Havamal  (high  song  of  Odin),  the  second  song  of  the 
Elder  Edda,  and  by  the  valkyrie  Sigdrifa  in  the  Sigrdri- 
fumal  (the  lay  of  Sigdrifa),  the  twenty-first  poem  of 
the  same  work.  Eead  these  poems  and  maxims,  and 
judge  whether  they  will  warrant  the  position  repeatedly 
taken  in  this  work,  that  the  electric  spark  that  has 
made  England  and  America  great  and  free  came  not 
from    the    aboriginal    Britons,    not    from    the    Roman 


SAMUEL    LAIZSTG.  129 

enslavers,  but  must  be  sought  in  the  prophetic,  imagina- 
tive and  poetic  childhood  of  the  Gothic  race.  Eead 
these  poems  and  judge  whether  the  eminent  English 
writer,  Samuel  Laing,  is  right  when  he  says : 

All  that  men  hope  for  of  good  government  and  future  im- 
provement in  their  physical  and  moral  condition, —  all  that 
civilized  men  enjoy  at  this  day  of  civil,  religious  and  political 
liberty, —  the  British  constitution,  representative  legislation,  the 
trial  by  jury,  security  of  property,  freedom  of  mind  and  person, 
the  influence  of  public  opinion  over  the  conduct  of  public  affairs, 
the  Reformation,  the  liberty  of  the  press,  the  spirit  of  the  age, 
—  all  that  is  or  has  been  of  value  to  man  in  modern  times  as  a 
member  of  society,  either  in  Europe  or  in  the  New  World,  may 
be  traced  to  the  spark  left  burning  upon  our  shores  by  these 
northern  barbarians. 

Eead  these  poems  and  find  truth  in  the  words  of 
Baron  Montesquieu,  the  admirable  author  of  The  Spirit 
of  Laivs  (L'Esprit  des  Lois),  when  he  says :  The  great 
prerogative  of  Scandinavia,  and  what  ought  to  recom- 
mend its  inhabitants  beyond  every  people  upon  earth, 
is,  that  they  afforded  the  great  resource  to  the  liberty 
of  Eurojie,  that  is,  to  almost  all  the  liberty  that  is 
among  men  ;  and  when  he  calls  the  North  the  forge 
of  those  instruments  which  broke  the  fetters  manufact- 
ured in  the  South. 

In  the  old  Gothic  religion  were  embodied  principles 
and  elements  which  had  a  tendency  to  make  its  votaries 
brave,  independent,  honest,  earnest,  just,  charitable,  pru- 
dent, temperate,  liberty-loving,  etc.;  principles  and  morals 
that  in  due  course  of  time  and  under  favorable  circum- 
stances evolved  the  Eepublic  of  Iceland,  the  Magna 
Charta  of  England,  and  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

The  rules  of  life  as  indicated  by  the  High  Song  of 
Odin  and  in  Sigrdrifumal,  in  which  the  valkyrie  gives 


130  ODINIC    RULES    OF   LIFE. 

counsel   to   Sigurd  Fafnisbane,  are   brieliy   summed   up 
by  Professor  Keyser  as  follows: 

1.  The  recognition  of  the  depravity  of  human  nature,  which 
calls  for  a  struggle  against  our  natural  desires  and  forbearance 
toward  the  weakness  of  others. 

2.  Courage  and  faith  both  to  bear  the  hard  decrees  of  the 
norns  and  to  fight  against  enemies. 

3.  The  struggle  for  independence  in  life  with  regard  to 
knowledge  as  well  as  to  fortune ;  an  independence  which  should, 
therefore,  be  earned  by  a  love  of  learning  and  industry. 

4.  A  strict  adherence  to  oaths  and  promises. 

5.  Candor  and  fidelity  as  well  as  foresight  in  love,  devotion 
to  the  tried  friend,  but  dissimulation  toward  the  false  and  war 
to  the  death  against  the  implacable  enemy. 

6.  Respect  for  old  age. 

7.  Hospitality,  liberality,  and  charity  to  the  poor. 

8.  A  prudent  foresight  in  word  and  deed. 

9.  Temperance,  not  only  in  the  gratification  of  the  senses,  but 
also  in  the  exercise  of  power. 

10.  Contentment  and  cheerfulness. 

11.  Modesty  and  politeness  in  intercourse. 

12.  A  desire  to  win  the  good  will  of  our  fellow  men,  espe- 
cially to  surround  ourselves  with  a  steadfast  circle  of  devoted 
kinsmen  and  faithful  friends. 

13.  A  careful  treatment  of  the  bodies  of  the  dead. 

Listen  now  to  Odin  himself,  as  he  gives  precepts  of 
wisdom  to  mankind  in 

HAVAMIL : 

1.  All  door-ways 
Before  going  forward. 
Should  be  looked  to ; 
For  difficult  it  is  to  know 
Where  foes  may  sit 
Within  a  dwelling 

2.  Givers,  hail! 

A  guest  is  come  in: 


HAVAMAL.  131 

Where  shall  he  sit? 
In  much  haste  is  he, 
Who  on  his  ways  has 
To  try  his  luck. 

Fire  is  needful 

To  him  who  is  come  in. 

And  whose  knees  are  frozen ; 

Food  and  raiment 

A  man  requires, 

Who  o'er  the  fell  has  traveled. 

Water  to  him  is  needful. 

Who  for  refection  comes, 

A  towel  and  hospitable  invitation, 

A  good  reception ; 

If  he  can  get  it. 

Discourse  and  answer. 

Wit  is  needful 

To  him  who  travels  far: 

At  home  all  is  easy. 

A  laughing-stock  is  he 

Who  nothing  knows. 

And  with  the  instructed  sits,* 

Of  his  understanding 

No  one  should  be  proud. 

But  rather  in  conduct  cautious. 

When  the  prudent  and  taciturn 

Come  to  a  dwelling. 

Harm  seldom  befalls  the  cautious ; 

For  a  firmer  friend 

No  man  ever  gets 

Than  great  sagacity. 

A  wary  guest 
Who  to  refection  comes 
Keeps  a  cautious  silence  ; 
With  his  ears  listens, 
And  with  his  eyes  observes : 
So  explores  every  prudent  man. 
♦Beowulf,  1839. 


133  HAVAMAL. 

8.  He  is  happy 

Who  for  himself  obtains 
Fame  and  kind  words : 
Less  sure  is  that 
Which  a  man  must  have 
In  another's  breast. 

9.  He  is  happy 

Who  in  himself  possesses 
Fame  and  wit  while  living; 
For  bad  counsels 
Have  oft  been  received 
From  another's  breast. 

10.  A  better  burthen 

No  man  bears  on  the  way 

Than  much  good  sense ; 

That  is  thought  better  than  riches 

In  a  strange  place  ; 

Such  is  the  recourse  of  the  indigent. 

11.  A  worse  provision 

On  the  way  he  cannot  carry 

Than  too  much  beer-bibbing ; 

So  good  is  not, 

As  it  is  said, 

Beer  for  the  sons  of  men. 

12.  A  worse  provision 

No  man  can  take  from  table 
Than  too  much  beer-bibbing, 
For  the  more  he  drinks 
The  less  control  he  has 
Of  his  own  mind. 

13.  Oblivion's  heron  'tis  called 
That  over  potations  hovers  ; 
He  steals  the  minds  of  men. 
With  this  bird's  pinions 

I  was  fettered 

In  Gunlad's  dwelling. 


HAVAMAL.  133 

14.  Drunk  I  was, 

I  was  over-drunk, 
At  that  cunning  Fjalar's. 
It 's  the  best  drunkenness 
When  every  one  after  it 
Regains  his  reason. 

15.  Taciturn  and  prudent, 
And  in  war  daring 

Should  a  king's  children  be ; 
Joyous  and  liberal 
Everyone  should  be 
Until  his  hour  of  death. 

16.  A  cowardly  man 
Thinks  he  will  ever  live 
If  warfare  he  avoids ; 
But  old  age  will 

Give  him  no  peace. 

Though  spears  may  spare  him. 

17.  A  fool  gapes 

When  to  a  house  he  comes, 

To  himself  mutters  or  is  silent; 

But  all  at  once, 

If  he  gets  drink. 

Then  is  the  man's  mind  displayed- 

18.  He  alone  knows. 
Who  wanders  wide 

And  has  much  experienced, 

By  what  disposition 

Each  man  is  ruled. 

Who  common  sense  possesses. 

19.  Let  a  man  hold  the  cup. 

Yet  of  the  mead  drink  moderately. 
Speak  sensibly  or  be  silent. 
.  As  of  a  fault 
No  man  will  admonish  thee. 
If  thou  goest  betimes  to  Bleep. 


134  HAVAMAL. 

20.  A  greedy  man, 

If  he  be  not  moderate, 

Eats  to  Lis  mortal  sorrow. 

Oftentimes  his  belly 

Draws  laughter  on  a  silly  man 

Who  among  the  prudent  comes. 

21.  Cattle  know 
When  to  go  home 

And  then  from  grazing  cease; 

But  a  foolish  man 

Never  knows 

His  stomach's  measure. 

22.  A  miserable  man, 
And  ill-conditioned, 
Sneers  at  everything: 
One  thing  he  knows  not, 
Which  he  ought  to  know. 
That  he  is  not  free  from  faults. 

23.  A  foolish  man 

Is  all  night  awake. 
Pondering  over  everything; 
He  then  grows  tired, 
And  when  morning  comes 
All  is  lament  as  before. 

24.  A  foolish  man 

Thinks  all  who  on  him  smile 

To  be  his  friends ; 

He  feels  it  not, 

Although  they  speak  ill  of  him. 

When  he  sits  among  the  clever. 

25.  A  foolish  man 

Thinks  all  who  speak  him  fair 

To  be  his  friends  ; 

But  he  will  find. 

If  into  court  he  comes. 

That  he  has  few  advocates. 


HAVAMAL.  135 

26.  A  foolish  man 

Thinks  he  knows  everything 

If  placed  in  unexpected  difficulty; 

But  he  knows  not 

What  to  answer 

If  to  the  test  he  is  put. 

27.  A  foolish  man, 

Who  among  people  comes, 

Had  best  be  silent ; 

For  no  one  knows 

That  he  knows  nothing 

Unless  he  talks  too  much. 

He  who  previously  knew  nothing 

Will  still  know  nothing, 
Talk  he  ever  so  much. 

28.  He  thinks  himself  wise 
Who  can  ask  questions 
And  converse  also ; 
Conceal  his  ignorance 
No  one  can. 

Because  it  circulates  among  men. 

29.  He  utters  too  many 
Futile  words 

Who  is  never  silent ; 

A  garrulous  tongue, 
If  it  be  not  checked, 

Sings  often  to  its  own  harm. 

30.  For  a  gazing-stock 

No  man  shall  have  another. 
Although  he  come  a  stranger  to  his  house. 
Many  a  one  thinks  himself  wise. 
If  he  is  not  questioned, 
And  can  sit  in  a  dry  habit. 

31.  Clever  thinks  himself 

The   guest  who  jeers  a  guest. 
If  he  takes  to  flight. 
Knows  it  not  certainly 
He  who  prates  at  meat. 
Whether  he  babbles  among  foes. 


136  HAVAMAL. 

32.  Many  men  are  mutually 

Well-disposed, 
Yet  at  table  will  torment  each  other. 
That  strife  will  ever  be  ; 
Guest  will  guest  irritate. 

33.  Early  meals 

A  man  should  often  take. 

Unless  to  a  friend's  house  he  goes ; 

Else  he  will  sit  and  mope. 

Will  seem  half  famished. 

And  can  of  few  things  inquire. 

34.  Long  is  and  indirect  the  way 
To  a  bad  friend's, 

Though  by  the  road  he  dwell ; 
But  to  a  good  friend's 
The  paths  lie  direct. 
Though  he  be  far  away. 

'35.    A  guest  should  depart, 
Not  always  stay 
In  one  place  : 

The  welcome  becomes  unwelcome 
If  he  too  long  continues 
In  another's  house. 

36>    One's  own  house  is  best, 
Small  though  it  be ; 
At  home  is  every  one  his  own  master. 
Though  he  but  two  goats  possess. 
And  a  straw-thatched  cot. 
Even  that  is  better  than  begging. 

37.    One's  own  house  is  best, 
Small  though  it  be; 
At  home  is  every  one  his  own  master. 
Bleeding  at  heart  is  he 
Who  has  to  ask 
For  food  at  every  meal-tide. 


HAVAMAL.  137 

38.  Leaving  in  the  field  his  arms, 

Let  no  man  go 

A  foot's  length  forward; 

For  it  is  hard  to  know- 
When  on  his  way 

A  man  may  need  his  weapon. 

39.  I  have  never  found  a  man  so  bountiful 
Or  so  hospitable 

That  he  refused  a  present; 

Or  of  his  property 

So  liberal 

That  he  scorned  a  recompense. 

40.  Of  tlie  property 
Which  he  has  gained, 

No  man  should  suffer  need ; 
For  the  hated  oft  is  spared 
What  for  the  dear  was  destined : 
Much  goes  worse  than  is  expected. 

41.  With  arms  and  vestments 
Friends  should  each  other  gladden, 

Those  which  are  in  themselves  most  sightly. 
Givers  and  requiters 
Are  longest  friends, 
If  all  else  goes  well. 

43.        To  his  friend 

A  man  should  be  a  friend, 
And  gifts  with  gifts  requite; 
Laughter  with  laughter 
Men  should  receive. 
But  leasing  with  lying. 

43.        To  his  friend 

A  man  should  be  a  friend, 
To  him  and  to  his  friend  ; 
But  of  his  foe 
No  man  shall 
His  friend's  friend  be. 
12 


138  HAVAMAL. 

44.  Know  if  thou  liast  a  friend 
Whom  thou  fully  trustest, 

And  from  whom  thou  would'st  good  derive; 
Thou  should'st  blend  thy  mind  with  his. 

And  gifts  exchange. 

And  often  go  to  see  him. 

45.  If  thou  hast  another 

Whom  thou  little  trustest. 

Yet  would'st  good  from  him  derive. 

Thou  should'st  speak  him  fair. 

But  think  craftily, 

And  leasing  pay  with  lying. 

46.  But  of  him  yet  further 
Whom  thou  little  trustest, 

And  thou  suspectest  his  affection, 
Before  him  thou  should'st  laugh. 
And  contrary  to  thy  thoughts  speak; 
Requital  should  the  gift  resemble. 

47.  I  once  was  young, 

I  was  journeying  alone 
And  lost  my  way; 
Rich  I  thought  myself 
When  I  met  another: 
Man  is  the  joy  of  man. 

48.  Liberal  and  brave 
Men  live  best. 

They  seldom  cherish  sorrow; 

But  a  bare-minded  man 

Dreads  everything ; 

The  niggardly  is  uneasy  even  at  gifts. 

49.  My  garments  in  a  field 
I  gave  away 

To  two  wooden  men  : 
Heroes  they  seemed  to  be 
When  they  got  cloaks  ;  * 
Exposed  to  insult  is  a  naked  man. 

*  The  tailor  makes  the  man. 


HAVAMAL.  139 

50.  A  tree  withers 

That  on  a  hill-top  stands ; 
Protects  it  neither  bark  nor  leaves : 
Such  is  the  man 
Whom  no  one  favors  : 
Why  should  he  live  long? 

51.  Hotter  than  fire 

Love  for  five  days  burns 

Between  false  friends  ; 

But  is  quenched 

When  the  sixth  day  comes. 

And  friendship  is  all  impaired 

52.  Something  great 

Is  not  always  to  be  given. 

Praise  is  often  for  a  trifle  bought 

With  half  a  loaf 

And  a  tilted  vessel 

I  got  myself  a  comrade. 

53.  Little  are  the  sand  grains. 
Little  the  wits. 

Little  the  minds  of  men  ; 

For  all  men 

Are  not  wise  alike  : 

Men  are  everywhere  by  halves 

54.  Moderately  wise 
Should  each  one  be, 
But  never  over-wise ; 
For  a  wise  man's  heart 
Is  seldom  glad. 

If  he  is  all-wise  who  owns  it 

55.  Moderately  wise 
Should  each  one  be. 
But  never  over-wise : 
Of  those  men 

The  lives  are  fairest 
Who  know  much  well. 


140  HAVAMAL. 


56.  Moderately  wise 
Should  each  one  be, 
But  never  over- wise  : 
His  destiny  let  know 
No  man  beforehand ; 

His  mind  will  be  freest  from  care. 

57.  Brand  burns  from  brand 
Until  it  is  burnt  out. 

Fire  is  from  fire  quickened: 

Man  to  man 

Becomes  known  by  speech, 

But  a  fool  by  his  bashful  silence. 

58.  He  should  rise  early 

Who  another's  property  or  life 

Desires  to  have : 

Seldom  a  sluggish  wolf 

Gets  prey. 

Or  a  sleeping  man  victory. 

59.  Early  should  rise 

He  who  has  few  workers. 
And  go  his  work  to  see  to ; 
Greatly  is  he  retarded 
Who  sleeps  the  morn  away  . 
Wealth  half  depends  on  energy. 

60.  Of  dry  planks 
And  roof  shingles 

A  man  knows  the  measure ; 

Of  the  firewood 

That  may  sufiice 

Both  measure  and  time. 

61.  Washed  and  refected 

Let  a  man  ride  to  TMng* 

Although  his  garments  be  not  too  good; 

Of  his  shoes  and  breeches 

Let  no  one  be  ashamed, 

Nor  of  his  horse, 

Although  he  have  not  a  good  one. 

*  The  public  assembly. 


HAVAMAL.  141 

62.  Inquire  and  impart 
Should  every  man  of  sense. 
Who  will  be  accounted  sage. 
Let  one  only  know, 

A  second  may  not ; 

If  three,  all  the  world  knows. 

63.  Gasps  and  gapes, 

When  to  the  sea  he  comes, 
The  eagle  over  old  ocean ; 
So  is  a  man 

Who  among  many  conies. 
And  has  few  advocates. 

64.  His  power  should 
Every  sagacious  man 
Use  with  discretion. 
For  he  will  find. 

When  among  the  bold  he  comes. 
That  no  one  alone  is  doughtiest. 

65.  Circumspect  and  reserved 
Every  man  should  be. 

And  wary  in  trusting  friends ; 
Of  the  words 

That  a  man  says  to  another 
He  often  pays  the  penalty. 

66.  Much  too  early 

I  came  to  many  places, 

But  too  late  to  others ; 

The  beer  was  drunk, 

Or  not  ready: 

The  disliked  seldom  hits  the  moment. 

67.  Here  and  there  I  should 
Have  been  invited 

If  I  a  meal  had  needed  ; 
Or  two  hams  had  hung 
At  that  true  friend's 
Where  of  one  I  had  eaten. 


142  HAVAMAL. 

68.  Fire  is  best 

Among  the  sons  of  men, 

And  the  sight  of  the  sun, 

If  his  health 

A  man  can  have, 

With  a  life  free  from  vice. 

69.  No  man  lacks  everything. 
Although  his  health  be  bad : 
One  in  his  sons  is  happy, 
One  in  his  kin. 

One  in  abundant  wealth. 
One  in  his  good  works. 

70.  It  is  better  to  live. 
Even  to  live  miserably ; 

A  living  man  can  always  get  a  cow. 

I  saw  fire  consume 

The  rich  man's  property, 

And  death  stood  without  his  door. 

71.  The  halt  can  ride  on  horseback, 
The  one-handed  drive  cattle ; 
The  deaf,  fight  and  be  useful : 
To  be  blind  is  better 

Than  to  be  burnt :  * 

No  one  gets  good  from  a  corpse. 

72.  A  son  is  better 
Even  if  born  late. 

After  his  father's  departure. 

Gravestones  seldom 

Stand  by  the  way-side 

Unless  raised  by  a  kinsman  to  a  kinsman. 

73.  Two  are  adversaries : 

The  tongue  is  the  bane  of  the  head : 
Under  every  cloak 
I  expect  a  hand. 

*That  is,  dead  on  the  funeral  pile. 


HAVAMAL.  143 

74.  At  night  is  joyful 

He  who  is  sure  of  traveling  entertainment ; 

A  ship's  yards  are  short ; 

Variable  is  an  autumn  night. 

Many  are  the  weather's  changes 

In  five  days. 

But  more  in  a  month. 

75.  He  knows  not, 
Who  knows  nothing, 

That  many  a  one  apes  another. 

One  man  is  rich, 

Another  poor: 

Let  him  not  be  thought  blamewortliy. 

76.  Cattle  die, 
Kindred  die. 

We  ourselves  also  die  ; 
But  the  fair  fame 
Never  dies 
Of  him  who  has  earned  it. 

77.  Cattle  die. 
Kindred  die, 

We  ourselves  also  die ; 
But  I  know  one  thing 
That  never  dies, — 
Judgment  on  each  one  dead. 

78.  Full  storehouses  I  saw 
At  Dives'  sons': 

Now  bear  they  the  beggar's  staff. 
Such  are  riches, 
As  is  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  : 
Of  friends  they  are  most  fickle. 

79.  A  foolish  man. 
If  he  acquires 

Wealth  or  woman's  love. 

Pride  grows  within  him, 

But  wisdom  never  : 

He  goes  on  more  and  more  arrogant. 


144  HAVAMAL. 

80.  Thus  'tis  made  manifest. 

If  of  runes  thou  questionest  him, 
Those  to  the  high  ones  known. 
Which  the  great  powers  invented, 
And  the  great  tallier*  painted. 
That  he  had  best  hold  silence. 

81.  At  eve  the  day  is  to  be  praised, 
A  woman  after  she  is  burnt,f 

A  sword  after  it  is  proved, 
A  maid  after  she  is  married, 
Ice  after  it  has  been  crossed, 
Beer  after  it  is  drunk. 

82.  In  the  wind  one  should  hew  wood. 
In  a  breeze  row  out  to  sea, 

In  the  dark  talk  with  a  lass, 

Many  are  the  eyes  of  day. 

In  a  ship  voyages  are  to  be  made. 

But  a  shield  is  for  protection, 

A  sword  for  striking, 

But  a  damsel  for  a  kiss. 

83.  By  the  fire  one  should  drink  beer, 
On  the  ice  slide ; 

Buy  a  horse  that  is  lean, 
A  sword  that  is  rusty; 
Feed  a  horse  at  home, 
But  a  dog  at  the  farm. 

84.  In  a  maiden's  words 

No  one  should  place  faith. 

Nor  in  what  a  woman  says ; 

For  on  a  turning  wheel 

Have  their  hearts  been  formed. 

And  guile  in  their  breasts  been  laid. 

85.  In  a  creaking  bow, 
A  burning  flame, 

^  A  yawning  wolf, 

A  chattering  crow, 

*  Odin.  t  Dead. 


HAVAMAL.  145 

A  grunting  swine, 
A  rootless  tree, 
A  waxing  wave, 
A  boiling  kettle, 

86.  A  flying  dart, 

A  falling  billow, 
A  one  night's  ice, 
A  coiled  serpent, 
A  woman's  bed-talk 
Or  a  broken  sword, 
A  bear's  play 
Or  a  royal  child, 

87.  A  sick  calf, 

A  self-willed  thrall, 

A  flattering  prophetess, 

A  corpse  newly  slain, 

A  serene  sky, 

A  laughing  lord, 

A  barking  dog 

And  a  harlot's  grief, 

88.  An  early-sown  field. 
Let  no  one  trust. 

Nor  prematurely  in  a  son : 
Weather  rules  the  field. 
And  wit  the  son, 
Each  of  which  is  doubtful. 

89.  A  brother's  murderer. 
Though  on  the  high-road  met, 
A  half-burnt  house. 

An  over-swift  horse 
(A  horse  is  useless 
If  a  leg  be  broken  ) : 
No  man  is  so  confiding 
As  to  trust  any  of  these. 

90.  Such  is  the  love  of  women. 
Who  falsehood  meditate. 

As  if  one  drove  not  rough-shod 
On  slippery  ice, 
13 


146  HAVAMAL. 

A  spirited  two-year-old 

And  unbroken  horse ; 

Or  as  in  a  raging  storm 

A  helmless  ship  is  beaten  ; 

Or  as  if  the  halt  were  set  to  catch 

A  reindeer  in  the  thawing  fell.* 

91.  Openly  I  now  speak. 
Because  I  both  sexes  know. 

Unstable  are  men's  minds  toward  woiaen ; 
'Tis  then  we  speak  most  fair, 
When  we  most  falsely  think: 
That  deceives   even  the  cautious. 

92.  Fair  shall  speak. 
And  money  offer, 

Who  would  obtain  a  woman's  love 

Praise  the  form 

Of  a  fair  damsel ; 

He  gets,  who  courts  her. 

93.  At  love  should  no  one 
Ever  wonder 

In  another : 

A  beauteous  countenance 

Oft  captivates  the  wise, 

Which  captivates  not  the  foolish. 

94.  Let  no  one  wonder  at 
Another's  folly. 

It  is  the  lot  of  many. 
All-powerful  desire 
Makes  of  the  sons  of  men 
Fools  even  of  the  wise. 

95.  The  mind  only  knows 
What  lies  near  the  heart; 

That  alone  is  conscious  of  our  affections 

No  disease  is  worse 

To  a  sensible  man 

Than  not  to  be  content  with  himself. 

*  Such  lines  as  this  show  the  Norse  origin  of  the  Edda. 


HAVAMAL.  147 

96.  That  I  experienced 
When  in  the  reeds  I  sat 
Awaiting  my  delight. 
Body  and  soul  to  me 
Was  that  discreet  maiden: 
Nevertheless  I  possess  her  not. 

97.  Billing's  lass 

On  her  couch  1  found. 

Sun-bright,  sleeping. 

A  prince's  joy 

To  me  seemed  naught, 

If  not  with  that  form  to  live. 

98.  Yet  nearer  eve 

Must  thou,  Odin,  come,  she  said. 

If  thou  wilt  talk  the  maiden  over; 

All  will  be  disastrous 

Unless  we  alone 

Are  privy  to  such  misdeed. 

99.  I  returned, 
Thinking  to  love 
At  her  wise  desire  ; 
I  thought 

I  should  obtain 

Her  whole  heart  and  love. 

100.  When  next  I  came. 
The  bold  warriors  were 
All  awake, 

With  lights  burning, 
And  bearing  torches  : 

101.  But  at  the  approach  of  mora, 
When  again  I  came, 

The  household  all  was  sleeping; 
The  good  damsel's  dog 
Alone  I  found 
Tied  to  the  bed. 


148  HAVAMAL. 

102.  Many  a  fair  maiden. 
When  rightly  known. 
Toward  men  is  fickle : 
That  I  experienced 
When  that  discreet  maiden 
I  decoyed  into  danger : 
Contumely  of  every  kind 
That  wily  girl 

Heaped  upon  me  ; 

Nor  of  that  damsel  gained  I  aught. 

103.  At  home  let  a  man  be  cheerful, 
And  toward  a  guest  liberal ; 

Of  wise  conduct  he  should  be. 

Of  good  memory  and  ready  speech ; 

If  much  knowledge  he  desires. 

He  must  often  talk  on  what  is  good. 

Fimbulfambi  he  is  called 

Who  little  has  to  say  : 

Such  is  the  nature  of  the  simple. 


104.  The  old  giant  I  sought ; 
Now  I  am  come  back : 
Little  got  I  there  by  silence; 
In  many  words 

I  spoke  to  my  advantage 
In  Suttung's  halls.* 

105.  Gunlad  gave  me. 
On  her  golden  seat, 

A  draught  of  the  precious  mead ; 

A  bad  recompense  I  afterwards  made  her 

For  her  whole  soul, 

Her  fervent  love. 

106.  Rate's  mouth  I  caused 
To  make  a  space. 

And  to  gnaw  the  rock  ; 
Over  and  under  me 

*  For  the  story  of  Suttung  and  Gunlad,  see  second  part,  pp.  246-253. 


HAVAMAL.  149 

Were  the  giant's  ways: 
Thus  I  my  head  did  peril. 

107.  Of  a  well  assumed  formi 
I  made  good  use: 

Pew  things  fail  the  wise, 
For  Odrserer  is  now  come  up 
To  men's  earthly  dwellings. 

108.  'Tis  to  me  doubtful, 
That  I  could  have  come 
From  the  giant's  courts. 
Had  not  Gunlad  aided  me, — 
That  good  damsel 

Over  whom  1  laid  my  arm. 

109.  On  the  day  following 
Came  the  frost-giants 

To  learn  something  of  the  High  One 
In  the  High  One's  hall ; 
After  Bolverk  they  inquired, 
Whether  he  with  the  gods  were  come. 
Or  Suttung  had  destroyed  him. 

110.  Odin  I  believe 

A  ring-oath*  gave. 

Who  in  his  faith  will  trust? 

Suttung  defrauded, 

Of  his  drink  bereft, 

And  Gunlad  made  to  weep! 


111.    Time  't  is  to  discourse 

From  the  speaker's  chair. 

By  the  well  of  Urd 

I  silent  sat, 

I  saw  and  meditated, 

I  listened  to  men's  words. 

*  In  the  North  a  holy  oath  was  taken  on  a  ring  kept  in  the  temple  for 
that  purpose. 


150  HAVAMAL. 

112.  Of  runes  I  heard  discourse, 
And  of  things  divine. 

Nor  of  risting*  them  were  they  silent, 
Nor  of  sage  counsels. 
At  the  High  One's  hall. 
In  the  High  One's  hall 
I  thus  heard  say : 

113.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 

Eise  not  at  night, 

Unless  to  explore, 

Or  act  compelled  to  go  out. 

114.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice  ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 
In  an  enchantress'  embrace 
Thou  mayest  not  sleep. 
So  that  in  her  arms  she  clasp  thee. 

115.  She  will  be  the  cause 
That  thou  carest  not 

For  Thing  or  prince's  words; 

Food  thou  wilt  shun 

And  human  joys  ; 

Sorrowful  wilt  thou  go  to  sleep. 

116.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice  ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 
Another's  wife 
Entice  thou  never 
To  secret  converse. 

117.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice  ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 

By  fell  or  firth 

If  thou  have  to  travel, 

Provide  thee  well  with  food. 

*  Carving:  runes  are  risted  =  runes  are  carved. 


HAVAMAL.  151 

118.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 

A  bad  man 

Let  thou  never 

Know  thy  misfortunes ; 

For  from  a  bad  man 

Thou  never  wilt  obtain 

A  return  for  thy  good  will. 

119.  I  saw  mortally 
Wound  a  man 

A  wicked  woman's  words; 

A  false  tongue 

Caused  his  death. 

And  most  unrighteously. 

120.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 

If  thou  knowest  thou  hast  a  friend. 

Whom  thou  well  canst  trust, 

Go  oft  to  visit  him  ; 

For  with  brushwood  overgrown 

And  with  high  grass 

Is  the  way  that  no  one  treads. 

121.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 

A  good  man  attract  to  thee 

In  pleasant   converse, 

And  salutary  speech  learn,  while  thou  livest. 

122.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 
With  thy  friend 
Be  thou  never 
First  to  quarrel. 
Care  gnaws  the  heart. 


152  HAVAMAL. 

If  thou  to  no  one  canst 
Thy  whole  mind  disclose, 

123.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice  ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 
Words  thou  never 
Shouldst  exchange 
With  a  witless  fool. 

124.  For  from  an  ill-conditioned  man 
Thou  wilt  never  get 

A  return  for  good ; 
But  a  good  man  will 
Bring  thee  favor 
By  his  praise. 

125.  There  is  a  mingling  of  afiFection, 
Where  one  can  tell 

Another  all  his  mind. 
Everything  is  better 
Than  being  with  the  deceitful. 
He  is  not  another's  friend 
Who  ever  says  as  he  says. 

126.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice  ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 

Even  in  three  words 

Quarrel  not  with  a  worse  man : 

Often  the  better  yields, 

When  the  worse  strikes. 

127.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice  ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 

Be  not  a  shoemaker, 

Nor  a  shaftmaker. 

Unless  for  thyself  it  be  ; 

For  a  shoe,  if  ill  made. 

Or  a  shaft  if  crooked. 

Will  call  down  evil  on  thee. 


HAVAMAL.  153 

128.  I  counsel  tliee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 
Wherever  of  injury  thou  knowest. 
Regard  that  injury  as  thy  own; 
And  give  to  thy  foes  no  peace. 

129.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 

Rejoiced  at  evil 

Be  thou  never, 

But  let  good  give  thee  pleasure. 

130.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice  ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 

In  a  battle 

Look  not  up,* 

(Like  swine  f 

The  sous  of  ruen  then  become), 

That  men  may  not  fascinate  thee. 

131.  If  thou  wilt  induce  a  good  woman 
To  pleasant  converse, 

Thou  must  promise  fair, 

And  hold  to  it : 

No  one  turns  from  good,  if  it  can  be  got. 

133.    I  enjoin  thee  to  be  wary. 
But  not  over- wary  ; 
At  drinking  be  thou  most  wary, 
And  with  another's  wife  ; 
And  thirdly. 
That  thieves  delude  thee  not. 

133.    With  insult  or  derision 
Treat  thou  never 
A  guest  or  wayfarer ; 
They  often  little  know, 

*  In  a  battle  we  must  not  look  up,  but  forward. 

+  To  become  panic-stricken,  which  the  Norsemen  called  to  become  swine. 


154  HAVAMAL. 

Who  sit  within, 

Of  what  race  they  are  who  come. 

134.    Vices  and  virtues 

The  pons  of  mortals  bear 

In  their  breasts  mingled; 

No  one  is  so  good 

That  no  failing  attends  him, 

Nor  so  bad  as  to  be  good  for  nothini^. 

13^  At  a  hoary  speaker 
Laugh  thou  never. 

Often  is  good  that  which  the  aged  utter; 
Oft  from  a  shriveled  hide 
Discreet  words  issue, 
From  those  ,whose  skin  is  pendent 
And  decked  with  scars, 
And  Who  go  loitering  among  the  vile. 

136.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice ; 

Thou  wilt  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 

Rail  not  at  a  guest. 

Nor  from  thy  gate  thrust  him ; 

Treat  well  the  indigent. 

They  will  speak  well  of  thee. 

137.  Strong  is  the  bar 
That  must  be  raised 
To  admit  all.* 

Do  thou  give  a  penny. 

Or  they  will  call  down  on  thee 

Every  ill  on  thy  limbs. 

138.  I  counsel  thee,  Lodfafner, 
To  take  advice ; 

Thou  will  profit,  if  thou  takest  it. 
Wherever  thou  beer  drinkest, 

*  The  meaning  is,  it  is  difficult  to  show  hospitality  to  everybody.    A  door 
would  have  to  be  strong  to  stand  so  much  opening  and  shutting. 


HAVAMAL.  155 

Invoke  to  tliee  the  power  of  earth ; 

For  earth  is  good  against  drink. 

Fire  for  distempers, 

The  oak  for  constipation, 

A  corn-ear  for  sorcery, 

A  hall  for  domestic  strife. 

In  bitter  hates  invoke  the  moon  ; 

The  bitter  for  bite-injuries  is  good, 

But  runes  against  calamity  ; 

Fluid  let  earth  absorb. 

This  is  all  of  the  famous  Havamal  of  the  Elder 
Edda  except  the  so-called  Eunic  Chapter,  which  will 
be  given  in  the  second  part  in  connection  with  the 
myth  of  Odin.  Hear  now  what  the  valkyrie  has  to  say 
to  Sigurd  Fafnisbaue  in 

SIGRDRfFUMAL  {the  Lay  of  Sigdrifa). 

Sigurd  rode  up  the  Hindarfiall,  and  directed  his 
course  southward  toward  Frankland.  In  the  fell  he 
saw  a  great  light,  as  if  a  fire  were  burning,  which 
blazed  up  to  the  sky.  On  approaching  it,  there  stood  a 
shialdhorg,  and  over  it  a  banner.  Sigurd  went  into  the 
skialdborg,  and  saw  a  warrior  lying  within  it  asleep, 
completely  armed.  He  first  took  the  helmet  oflf  the 
warrior's  head,  and  saw  that  it  was  a  woman.  Her 
corselet  was  as  fast  as  if  it  had  grown  to  her  body. 
With  his  sword.  Gram,  he  ripped  the  corselet  from  the 
upper  opening  downwards,  and  then  through  both 
sleeves.  He  then  took  the  corselet  off"  from  her,  when 
she  awoke,  sat  up,  and,  on  seeing  Sigurd,  said: 

1.    What  has  my  corselet  cut? 

Why  from  my  sleep  have  I  started? 
Who  has  cast  from  me 
The  fallow  bands? 


156  THE    LAY    OF    SIGDRIFA. 

SIGURD : 
SigmuDd's  son 
(Recently  did  the  raven 
Feed  on  carrion)* 
And  Sigurd's  sword. 

she: 

2.  Long  have  I  slept, 

Long  been  with  sleep  oppressed. 

Long  are  mortals'  suiFerings ! 

Odin  is  the  cause 

That  I  have  been  unable 

To  cast  off  torpor. 

Sigurd  sat  clown  and  asked  her  name.  She  then  took 
a  horn  filled  with  mead,  and  gave  him  the  minnis-cicp 
(cup  of  memory). 

SHE: 

3.  Hail  to  Day! 

Hail  to  the  sons  of  Day  ! 

To  Night  and  her  daughter,  hail ! 

With  placid  eyes 

Behold  us  here. 

And  here  sitting  give  us  victory. 

4.  Hail  to  the  gods  ! 
Hail  to  the  goddesses  ! 

Hail  to  the  bounteous  earth ! 

Words  and  wisdom 

Give  to  us  noble  twain. 

And  healing  hands  while  we  live. 

She  was  named  Sigdrifa,  and  was  a  valkyrie.  She 
said  that  two  kings  had  made  war  on  each  other,  one 
of  whom  was  named  Hialmgunnar;  he  was  old  and  a 
great  warrior,  and  Odin  had  promised  him  victory.  The 
other  was  Agnar,  a  brother  of  And,  whom  no  divinity 
would  patronize.  Sigdrifa  overcame  Hialmgunnar  in 
battle;  in  revenge  for  which  Odin    pricked   her  with  a 

*  The  parenthesis  refers  to  Fafner's  death. 


THE    LAY    OF    SIGDRIFA.  157 

sleep-thorn,  and  declared  that  thenceforth  she  should 
never  have  victory  in  battle,  and  should  be  given  in 
marriage.  But,  said  she,  I  said  to  him  that  I  had 
bound  myself  by  a  vow  not  to  espouse  any  man  who 
could  be  made  to  fear.  Sigurd  answers,  and  implores 
her  to  teach  him  wisdom,  as  she  had  intelligence  from 
all  worlds : 

SIGDRIFA : 

5.  Beer  I  bear  to  tbee, 
Column  of  battle ! 
With  might  mingled, 
And  with  bright  glory : 
'Tis  full  of  song. 

And  salutary  saws. 
Of  potent  incantations, 
■♦       And  joyous  discourses. 

6.  Sig-runes  thou  must  know. 

If  victory  [sigr)  thou  wilt  have, 

And  on  thy  sword's  hilt  rist  them ; 

Some  on  the  chapes, 

Some  on  the  guard, 

And  twice  name  the  name  of  Tyr. 

7.  01-(ale-)runes  thou  must  know. 

If  thou  wilt  not  that  another's  wife 

Thy  trust  betray,  if  thou 

In  her  confide. 

On  the  horn  must  they  be  risted. 

And  on  the  hand's  back, 

And  Naud*  on  the  nail  be  scored. 

8.  A  cup  must  be  blessed, 
And  against  peril  guarded. 
And  garlick  in  the  liquor  cast ; 
Then  I  know 

Thou  wilt  never  have 

Mead  with  treachery  mingled. 

*  The  name  of  a  rune;  our  .V. 


158  THE    LAY    OF    SIGDKIFA. 

9.    Biarg-(lielp-)runes  thou  must  know. 
If  tliou  wilt  help 
And  loose  the  child  from  women ; 
In  the  palm  they  must  be  graven. 
And  round  the  joints  be  clasped, 
And  the  dises  prayed  for  aid. 

10.  Brim-(sea-)runes  thou  must  know, 
If  thou  wilt  have  secure 

Afloat  thy  sailing  steeds. 

On  the  prow  they  must  be  risted, 

And  on  the  helm-blade, 

And  with  fire  to  the  oar  applied. 

No  surge  shall  be  so  towering. 

Nor  waves  so  dark. 

But  from  the  ocean  thou  safe  shalt  come. 

11.  Lim-(braucli-)runes  thou  must  know, 
If  thou  a  leech  would  be, 

And  wounds  know  how  to  heal. 

On  the  bark  they  must  be  risted. 

And  on  the  leaves  of  trees, 

Of  those  whose  boughs  bend  eastward. 

12.  Mal-(speecli-)runes  thou  must  know. 
If  thou  wilt  that  no  one 

For  injury  with  hate  requite  thee. 
Those  thou  must  wind, 
Those  thou  must  wrap  round. 
Those  thou  must  altogether  place 
In  the  assembly. 
Where  people  have 
Into  full  court  to  go. 

13.  Hug-(thought-)runes  tliou  must  know, 
If  .thou  a  wiser  man  wilt  be 

Than  every  other. 
Those  interpreted. 
Those  risted, 
Those  devised  Hropt,* 
From  the  fluid 
Which  had  leaked 
*Odin. 


THE    LAY    OF    SIGDRIFA.  159 

From  Heiddraupner's  *  head. 
And  from  Hoddropner's  *  horn. 

14.  On  a  rock  he  stood, 
With  edged  sword, 

A  helm  on  his  head  he  bore. 
Then  spake  Mimer's  head 
Its  first  wise  word, 
And  true  sayings  uttered. 

15.  They  are,  it  is  said, 
On  the  shield  risted 

Which  stands  before  the  shining  god, 

On  Aarvak's  f  ear. 

And  on  Alsvid's  f  hoof. 

On  the  wheel  which  rolls 

Under  Rogner's :):  car. 

On  Sleipner's  teeth. 

And  on  the  sledge's  bands. 

16.  On  the  bear's  paw, 
And  on  Brage's  tongue. 
On  the  wolf's  claws. 
And  the  eagle's  beak, 
On  bloody  wings, 

And  on  the  bridge's  end, 
On  the  releasing  hand, 
And  on  healing's  track. 

17.  On  glass  and  on  gold. 
On  amulets  of  men, 
In  wine  and  in  ale. 

And  in  the  welcome  seat, 
On  Gungner's  point. 
And  on  Gi'ane's  breast. 
On  the  norn's  nail. 
And  the  owl's  neb. 

18.  All  were  erased 
That  were  inscribed. 

And  mingled  with  the  sacred  mead. 
And  sent  on  distant  ways  ; 

*Mimer.  tThe  horses  of  the  sun.  tOdin. 


160  THE    LAY   OF    SIGDRIFA. 

They  are  witli  the  gods, 
They  are  with  the  elves ; 
Some  with  the  wise  vans. 
Some  human  beings  have. 

19.  Those  are  bok-runes 
Those  are  biarg-runes, 
And  all  ol-(ale-)runes, 

And  precious  megin-(power-)runes 

For  those  who  can. 

Without  confusion  or  corruption, 

Turn  them  to  his  welfare. 

Use,  if  thou  hast  understood  them. 

Until  the  powers  perish. 

20.  Now  thou  shalt  choose, 
Since  a  choice  is  offered  thee. 
Keen  armed  warrior ! 

My  speech  or  silence : 
Think  over  it  in  thy  mind. 
All  evils  have  their  measure. 

SIGXJRD  : 

21.  T  will  not  flee, 

Though  thou  shouldst  know  me  doomed ; 

I  am  not  born  a  craven. 

Thy  friendly  councils  all 

I  will  receive. 

As  long  as  life  is  in  me. 

SIGDRIFA  : 

22.  This  I  thee  counsel  first : 
That  toward  thy  kin 
Thou  bear  thee  blameless. 
Take  not  hasty  vengeance. 
Although  they  raise  up  strife : 
That,  it  is  said,  benefits  the  dead. 

23.  This  I  thee  counsel  secondly : 
That  no  oath  thou  swear. 

If  it  not  be  true. 
Cruel  bonds 


THE    LAY    OF   SIGDRIFA.  161 

Follow  broken  faith: 
Accursed  is  the  faith-breaker. 

24.  This  I  thee  counsel  thirdly: 
That  in  the  assembly  thou 
Contend  not  with  a  fool ; 
For  an  unwise  man 

Oft  utters  words 

Worse  than  he  knows  of. 

25.  All  is  vain, 

If  thou  boldest  silence; 

Then  wilt  thou  seem  a  craven  born, 

Or  else  truly  accused. 

Doubtful  is  a  servant's  testimony. 

Unless  a  good  one  thou  gettest. 

On  the  next  day 

Let  his  life  go  forth. 

And  so  men's  lies  reward. 

26.  This  I  counsel  thee  fourthly: 
If  a  wicked  sorceress 

Dwell  by  the  way. 

To  go  on  is  better 

Than  there  to  lodge, 

Though  night  may  overtake  thee. 

27.  Of  searching  eyes 

The  sons  of  men  have  need. 

When  fiercely  they  have  to  fight: 

Oft  pernicious  women 

By  the  wayside  sit. 

Who  swords  and  valor  deaden. 

28.  This  I  thee  counsel  fifthly : 
Although  thou  see  fair  women 
On  the  benches  sitting. 

Let  not  their  kindred's  silver* 
Over  thy  sleep  have  power. 
To  kiss  thee  entice  no  woman. 

*  Which  thou  mightest  get  by  marriage. 
14 


163  THE    LAY   OF   SIGDEIFA. 

29.  This  I  thee  counsel  sixthly : 
Although  among  men  pass 
Offensive  tipsy  talk, 

Never,  while  drunken,  qnarrel 

With  men  of  war- 

Wine  steals  the  wits  of  many. 

30.  Brawls  and  drink 

To  many  men  have  been 

A  heart-felt  sorrow; 

To  some  their  death, 

To  some  calamity : 

Many  are  the  griefs  of  men  ! 

31.  This  I  thee  counsel  seventhly : 
If  thou  hast  disputes 

With  a  daring  man. 
Better  it  is  for  men 
To  fight  than  to  be  burnt 
Within  their  dwelling. 

32.  This  I  thee  counsel  eighthly : 
That  thou  guard  thee  against  evil. 
And  eschew  deceit. 

Entice  no  maiden. 
Nor  wife  of  man. 
Nor  to  wantonness  incite. 

33.  This  I  thee  counsel  ninthly: 
That  thou  corpses  bury. 

Wherever  on  the  earth  thou  findest  them ; 
Whether  from  sickness  they  have  died, 
Or  from  the  sea, 
Or  are  from  weapons  dead. 

.  34.    Let  a  mound  be  raised 
For  those  departed ; 
Let  their  hands  and  head  be  washed. 
Combed,  and  wiped  dry, 
Ere  in  the  coffin  they  are  laid; 
And  pray  for  their  happy  sleep. 


THE    LAY    OF   SIGDRIFA,  163 

35.  This  I  thee  counsel  tenthly : 
That  thou  never  trust 

A  foe's  kinsman's  promises, 

Whose  brother  thou  hast  slain. 

Or  sire  laid  low : 

There  is  a  wolf 

In  a  young  son, 

Though  he  with  gold  be  gladdened. 

36.  Strifes  and  fierce  enmities 
Think  not  to  be  lulled. 

No  more  than  deadly  injury. 
Wisdom  and  fame  in  arms 
A  prince  not  easily  acquires, 
Who  shall  of  men  be  foremost. 

37.  This  I  counsel  thee  eleventhly: 
That  thou  at  evil  look. 
What  course  it  may  take. 

A  long  life,  it  seems  to  me, 
The  prince  may  [not]  enjoy; 
Fierce  disputes  will  arise. 

Sigurd  said:  A  wiser  mortal  exists  not,  and  I  swear 
that  I  will  possess  thee,  for  thou  art  after  my  heart. 
She  answered:  Thee  I  will  have  before  all  others, 
though  I  have  to  choose  among  all  men.  And  this 
they  confirmed  with  oaths  to  each  other. 

Here  ends  the  lay  of  Sigdrifa. 

The  reader  may  find  some  of  these  rules  of  Hdvamdl 
and  Sigrdrifiimdl  somewhat  inconsistent  with  our  ideas 
of  a  supreme  deity;  but  are  not  many  of  these  princi- 
ples laid  down  in  the  Odinic  morality  worthy  of  a 
Christian  age  and  of  a  Christian  people,  and  do  they 
not  all  reveal  a  profound  knowledge  of  human  nature 
in  all  its  various  phases? 

These  rules  of  life,  says  Professor  Keyser,  were  vari- 
ously   understood,    and    as  variously    carried   out    into 


164  RUDOLPH    KETSER. 

practice.  But  on  the  whole  we  find  them  reflected  in 
the  popular  character  of  the  Norsemen,  such  as  history 
teaches  it  to  us  during  heathendom.  Bravery,  prudence, 
and  a  love  of  independence  are  its  brightest  features, 
although  bravery  often  degenerated  into  warrior  fierce- 
ness, prudence  into  dissimulation,  and  the  love  of  inde- 
pendence into  self-will.  If  on  the  one  hand  we  find  a 
noble  self-command,  devoted  faithfulness  in  friendship 
and  love,  noble-hearted  hospitality  and  generosity,  a  love 
of  right  and  of  legal  order,  we  also  see,  on  the  other 
hand,  unyielding  stubbornness,  a  fierce  spirit  of  revenge, 
a  repulsive  arrogance,  a  far-reaching  self-interest,  and  an 
excessive  dependence  upon  the  formalities  of  the  law. 
A  cold  and  unmoved  exterior  often  concealed  a  soul 
torn  by  the  bitterest  grief,  or  stirred  up  by  the  wildest 
passions.  A  passionate  outburst  of  joy  or  of  grief  was 
considered  undignified.  Few  words,  but  energetic  action, 
was  esteemed  in  conduct,  and  complaint  was  silenced  in 
order  that  vengeance  could  strike  the  more  surely  and 
heavily.  Under  a  tranquil,  indifferent  mien  were  con- 
cealed the  boldest  and  most  deep-laid  plans,  and  the 
real  intention  first  came  to  light  in  the  decisive  moment. 
On  the  whole,  there  was  certainly  an  impress  of  rigidity, 
insensibility  and  self-goodness  stamped  upon  the  popular 
character,  but  this  stamp  was  more  upon  the  outside 
than  in  its  innermost  character,  more  the  result  of 
inordinate  prudence  than  of  an  evil  disposition;  and 
through  all  its  failings  there  shines  forth  a  dignity  of 
soul  which  ennobled  power  and  held  up  glory  in  this 
life  and  in  after  ages  as  the  highest  object  of  human 
undertakings.* 

The  part  assigned   to   the  Norsemen  in  the   grand 
drama  of  European  history  was  to  free  the  human  mind 

*  Bellgion  of  the  Northmen,  chap.  xvii. 


THE    DAYS    OF   THE   WEEK.  165 

from  the  Csesarian  thraldom  of  Kome,  in  which  it  had 
so  long  been  chained ;  to  show  what  marvels  self-govern- 
ment and  free  institutions  can  accomplish,  and  thus 
hand  down  to  us,  their  descendants,  a  glorious  heritage 
of  imperishable  principles,  which  we  must  study  and  in 
a  great  measure  be  guided  by. 

We  retain  in  the  days  of  the  week  the  remembrance 
of  this  religion,  which  was  brought  to  England  more 
than  fourteen  hundred  years  ago  by  the  Goths,  who 
came  to  give  that  country  a  new  name  and  a  new  fate 
in  the  world.  The  Goths  taught  the  people  of  Britain 
to  divide  the  week  into  their  Sun-day,  Moon-day,  Tys- 
day,  Odin's-day,  Thorns-day,  and  Frey's  or  Freyja's-day. 
The  name  of  Saturday  the  English  owe  to  the  Roman 
god  Saturnus;  but  the  last  day  of  the  week  was  known 
among  the  early  Norsemen,  and  is  still  known  among 
them,  as  Laugar-dag,  L'6r-dag,  that  is  Wasliing-day.  It 
is  possible,  as  E.  C.  Otte  quaintly  remarks,  that  our 
Anglo-Saxon  forefathers  may  have  wished  to  change 
this  name  when,  in  later  times,  they  had  ceased  to  have 
only  one  washing-day  out  of  the  seven,  like  their 
northern  ancestors. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  present  the  Norse  mythol- 
ogy, and  we  shall  divide  it  into  three  divisions:  The 
Creation  and  Preservation,  The  Life  and  Ex- 
ploits OF  THE  Gods,  and  Ragnarok  and  Regener- 
ation. These  three  divisions  we  dedicate  respectively 
to  XJrd,  Verdande,  and  Skuld,  the  three  norns.  Was, 
Is,  and  Shall  Be,  which  uphold  the  world's  structure 
and  preside  over  the  destinies  of  gods  and  men. 


NORSE   MYTHOLOGY. 


UrtSar  orSi 
kvet5r  engi  maSr. 
Vafinn  er  VerSandi  reyk. 
Li  tits  sjaum  aptr, 
en  ekki  fram; 
skyggir  Skuld  fyrir  sjon. 

Matthias  JocHUMSoif. 


PART  I. 


THE  CREATION  AND  PRESERVATION  OF 
THE  WORLD. 


URD. 


TJrSar  orSi 
kvet5r  engi  maSr. 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE    CREATION. 

SECTION    I.       THE    ORIGINAL   CONDITION    OF   THE   WORLD. 

^T^HE  condition  of  things  before  the  creation  of  the 
-^  world  is  expressed  negatively.  There  was  nothing 
of  that  which  sprang  into  existence.  This  transition^, 
from  empty  space  into  being  demands  the  attention  of) 
the  whole  human  race.  Therefore  the  vala,  or  Avander- 
ing  prophetess,  begins  her  mysterious  song,  the  grand 
and  ancient  Voluspa,  the  first  lay  in  the  Elder  Edda, 
as  follows: 

Give  ear 

All  ye  divine  races, 

Great  and  small, 

Sons  of  Heimdal! 

I  am  about  to  relate 

The  wonderful  works  of  Valfather, 

The  oldest  sayings  of  men,   • 

The  first  I  remember. 

It  was  Time's  morning 
When  Ymer  lived : 
There  was  no  sand,  no  sea, 
Ko  cooling  billows; 
Earth  tliere  was  none, 
No  lofty  heaven, 
Only  Ginungagap, 
But  no  grass. 

The  beginning  was  this:    Many  ages,  ere   the  earth 
was  made,  there  existed  two  worlds.     Far  to  the  north 

(171) 


172  GINUNGAGAP. 

was  Niflheim  (the  nebulous  world),  and  far  to  the  south 
was  Muspelheim  (the  fire  world).  Between  them  was 
Ginungagap  (the  yawning  gap).  In  the  middle  of 
Niflheim  lay  the  spring  called  Hvergelmer,  and  from  it 
flowed  twelve  ice-cold  streams,  the  rivers  Elivagar,  of 
which  Gjol  was  situated  nearest  Hel-gate.  Muspelheim 
was  so  bright  and  hot  that  it  burned  and  blazed  and 
could  not  be  trodden  by  those  who  did  not  have  their 
home  and  heritage  there.  In  the  midst  of  this  intense 
light  and  burning  heat  sat  Surt,  guarding  its  borders 
with  a  flaming  sword  in  his  hand. 

SECTION  II.  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  GIANTS  (rHIMTHURSAR). 

The  first  beings  came  into  existence  in  the  following 
manner:  When  those  rivers  that  are  called  Elivagar, 
and  which  flowed  from  the  spring  Hvergelmer,  had 
flowed  far  from  their  spring-head  the  venom  which 
flowed  with  them  hardened,  as  does  dross  that  runs 
from  a  furnace,  and  became  ice.  And  when  the  ice 
stood  still,  and  ran  not,  the  vapor  arising  from  the 
venom  gathered  over  it  and  froze  to  rime,  and  in  this 
manner  were  formed  in  the  yawning  gap  many  layers 
of  congealed  vapor  piled  one  over  the  other.  That  part 
of  Ginungagap  that  lay  toward  the  north  was  thus 
filled  with  thick  and  heavy  ice  and  rime,  and  every- 
where within  were  fogs  and  gusts;  but  the  south  side 
of  Ginungagap  was  lightened  by  the  sparks  and  flakes 
that  flew  out  of  Muspelheim.  Thus  while  freezing 
cold  and  gathering  gloom  proceeded  from  Niflheim, 
that  part  of  Ginungagap  Avhicli  looked  toward  Mus- 
pelheim was  hot  and  bright;  but  Ginungagap  was  as 
light  as  windless  air;  and  when  the  heated  blast  met 
the  frozen  vapor  it  melted  into  drops,  and  hy  the  miglit 


TMEK.  173 

of  him  who  seiit  the  heat,^  these  drops  quickened  into 
life  and  were  shaped  into  the  likeness  of  a  man.  His 
name  was  Ymer,  but  the  frost-giants  called  him  Aur- 
gelmer.  Ymer  was  not  a  god;  he  was  bad  (evil,  illr^, 
as  were  all  his  kind.  When  he  slept,  he  fell  into  a 
sweat,  and  from  the  pit  of  his  left  arm  waxed  a  man 
and  a  woman,  and  one  of  his  feet  begat  with  the  other 
a  son,  from  whom  descend  the  frost-giants,  and  there- 
fore Ymer  is  called  the  old  frost-giant  (Rhimthurs). 
Thus  the  Elder  Edda,  in  the  lay  of  Vafthrudner: 

Countless  ■winters 

Ere  earth  was  formed, 

Was  born  Bergelmer; 

Tlirudgelmer 

Was  his  sire, 

His  grandsire  Aurgelmer. 

From  Elivagar 

Sprang  venom  drops. 

Which  grew  till  they  became  a  giant ; 

But  sparks  flew 

From  the  south-world  : 

To  the  ice  the  fire  gave  way. 

Under  the  armpit  grew, 
'Tis  said,  of  Rhimthurs, 
A  girl  and  boy  together; 
Foot  with  foot  begat. 
Of  that  wise  giant, 
A  six-headed  son. 

SECTION     III.      THE    ORIGIN"    OF    THE    COW    AUDHUMBLA 
AND   THE    BIRTH    OF   THE    GODS. 

On  what  did  the  giant  Ymer  live,  is  a  pertinent 
question.  Here  is  the  answer:  The  next  thing,  when 
the   rime  had   been   resolved   into   drops,  was   that  the 

*  The  supreme  god. 


174  ODIN",   VILE   AND   VE. 

COW,  which  is  called  Audliumbla,  was  made  of  it.  Four 
milk-rivers  ran  out  of  her  teats,  and  thus  she  fed  Ymer. 
On  what  did  the  cow  feed?  She  licked  rime-stones, 
which  were  salt;  and  the  first  day  that  she  licked  the 
stones  there  came  at  evening  out  of  the  stones  a  man's 
hair,  the  second  day  a  man's  head,  and  the  third  day 
all  the  man  was  there.  His  name  was  Bure.  He  was 
fair  of  face,  great  and  mighty.  He  begat  a  son  by  name 
Bor.  Bor  took  for  his  wife  a  woman  .whose  name  was 
Bestla,  a  daughter  of  the  giant  Bolthorn,  and  they  had 
three  sons,  Odin,  Vile  and  Ve,  the  rulers  of  heaven  and 
earth;  and  Odin,  adds  the  Younger  Edda,  is  the  greatest 
and  lordliest  of  all  the  gods. 

The  frost-giants  were,  then,  the  first  race  or  the 
first  dynasty  of  gods.  The  Elder  Edda  makes  this  dyn- 
asty embrace  three  beings,  for  Aurgelmer  in  the  passage 
quoted  is  the  same  as  Ymer. 

Odin  descended  from  the  frost-giants,  which  is  also 
proved  by  a  passage  in  the  Younger  Edda,  where  Gang- 
lere  asks  where  Odin  kept  himself  ere  heaven  and  earth 
were  yet  made.  Then  he  was,  an  severed  Haar,  with  the 
frost-giants  (Rhimthursar). 

SECTION    IV.      THE    NORSE    DELUGE    AND    THE    ORIGIN    OF 
HEAVEN"    AND    EARTH. 

Bor's  sons,  Odin,  Vile  and  Ve,  slew  the  giant  Ymer, 
but  when  he  fell  there  ran  so  much  blood  out  of  his 
wounds,  that  with  that  they  drowned  all  the  race  of 
the  frost-giants,  save  one,  who  got  away  with  his  house- 
hold ;  him  the  giants  call  Bergelmer.  He  went  on  board 
his  boat,  and  with  him  went  his  wife,  and  from  them 
came  a  new  race  of  frost-giants.     Thus  the  Elder  Edda: 


ORIGIN   OF   HEAVEN    AND    EARTH.  175 

Winters  past  counting. 
Ere  earth  was  yet  made. 
Was  born  Bergelmer : 
Full  well  I  remember 
How  this  crafty  giant 
Was  stowed  safe  in  his  skiflf. 

Odin,  Vile  and  Ve  dragged  the  body  of  Ymer  into 
the  middle  of  Ginuugagap,  and  of  it  they  formed  the 
earth.  From  Ymer's  blood  they  made  the  seas  and 
waters;  from  his  flesh  the  land;  from  his  bones  the 
mountains;  from  his  hair  the  forests,  and  from  his 
teeth  and  jaws,  together  with  some  bits  of  broken  bones, 
they  made  the  stones  and  pebbles.  From  the  blood  that 
ran  from  his  wounds  they  made  the  vast  ocean,  in  the 
midst  of  which  they  fixed  the  earth,  the  ocean  encir- 
cling it  as  a  ring ;  and  hardy,  says  the  Younger  Edda,  will 
he  be  who  attempts  to  cross  those  waters.  Then  they 
took  his  skull  and  formed  thereof  the  vaulted  heavens, 
which  they  placed  over  the  earth,  and  set  a  dwarf  at 
the  corner  of  each  of  the  four  quarters.  These  dwarfs 
are  called  East,  West,  North,  and  South.  The  wander- 
ing sparks  and  red-hot  flakes  that  had  been  cast  out 
from  Mnspelheim  they  placed  in  the  heavens,  both  above 
and  below  Ginungagap,  to  give  light  unto  the  world. 
The  earth  was  round  without  and  encircled  by  the  deep 
ocean,  the  outward  shores  of  which  were  assigned  as  a 
dwelling  for  the  race  of  giants.  But  within,  round 
about  the  earth,  the  sons  of  Bor  raised  a  bulwark 
against  turbulent  giants,  employing  for  this  structure 
Ymer's  eye-brows.  To  this  bulwark  they  gave  the  name 
Midgard.*  They  afterwards  threw  and  scattered  the 
brains  of  Ymer  in  the  air,  and  made  of  them  the  mel- 
ancholy clouds.  Thus  the  Elder  Edda,  in  the  lay  of 
Vaf  thrudner : 

*  The  Tower  of  Babel. 


176  THE   HEAVENLY   BODIES. 

From  Ymer's  flesh 

The  earth  was  formed. 

And  from  his  bones  the  hills. 

The  heaven  from  the  skull 

Of  that  ice-cold  giant. 

And  from  hia  blood  the  sea. 

And  in  Grimner's  lay: 

Of  Ymer's  flesh 

Was  earth  created, 

Of  his  blood  the  sea. 

Of  his  bones  the  hills. 

Of  his  hair  trees  and  plants, 

Of  his  skull  the  heavens. 

And  of  his  brows 

The  gentle  powers 

Formed  Midgard  for  the  sons  of  men; 

But  of  his  brain 

The  heavy  clouds  are 

All  created. 

SECTION   V,       THE   HEAVENLY    BODIES,   TIME,   THE    WIND, 
THE   KAINBOW. 

The  heavenly  bodies  were  formed  of  the  sparks  from 
Muspelheim.  The  gods  did  not  create  them,  but  only 
placed  them  in  the  heavens  to  give  light  unto  the  world, 
and  assigned  them  a  prescribed  locality  and  motion.  By 
them  days  and  nights  and  seasons  were  marked.  Thus 
the  Elder  Edda,  in  Voluspa: 

The  sun  knew  not 
His  proper  sphere ; 
The  stars  knew  not 
Their  proper  place ; 
The  moon  knew  not 
Where  her  position  was. 

There  was  nowhere  grass 
Until  Bor's  sons 


THE    SUN    AND    MOON".  177 

The  expanse  did  raise, 
By  whom  the  great 
Midgard  was  made. 
From  the  south  the  sun 
Shone  on  the  walls ; 
Then  did  the  earth 
Green  herbs  produce. 
The  moon  went  ahead 
The  sun  followed, 
His  right  hand  held 
The  steeds  of  heaven. 

Mundilfare  was  the  father  of  the  sun  and  moon.  It 
is  stated  in  the  Younger  Edda  that  Mundilfare  had  two 
children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  so  lovely  and  graceful 
that  he  called  the  boy  Maane*  (moon)  and  the  girl  Sol* 
(sun),  and  the  latter  he  gave  in  marriage  to  Glener  (the 
shining  one). 

But  the  gods,  being  incensed  at  Mundilfare's  presump- 
tion, took  his  children  and  placed  them  in  the  heavens, 
and  let  Sol  drive  the  horses  that  draw  the  car  of  the 
sun.  These  horses  are  called  Aarvak  (the  ever-wakeful) 
and  Alsvid  (the  rapid  one) ;  they  are  gentle  and  beautiful, 
and  under  their  withers  the  gods  placed  two  skins  filled 
with  air  to  cool  and  refresh  them,  or,  according  to 
another  ancient  tradition,  an  iron  refrigerant  substance 
called  isarnkul.  A  shield,  by  name  Svalin  (cool),  stands 
before  the  Sun,  the  shining  god.  The  mountains  and 
the  ocean  would  burn  up  if  this  shield  should  fall  away. 
Maane  was  set  to  guide  the  moon  in  her  course,  and 
regulate  her  increasing  and  waning  aspect. 

A  giant,  by  name  Norve,  who  dwelt  in  Jotunheim, 
had  a  daughter  called  Night  (nott),  who,  like  all  her 
race,  was  of  a  dark  and  swarthy  complexion.     She  was 

*  In  the  Norse  language,  as  also  in  the  Anglo-Saxon,  the  sun  is  of  the 
feminine  and  the  moon  of  the  masculine  gender. 


178  HRIMFAXE    AND    SKINFAXE. 

first  wedded  to  a  man  called  Naglfare,  and  had  by  him 
a  son  named  And,  and  afterward  to  another  man  called 
Annar,  by  whom  she  had  a  daughter  called  Earth  (Jorcl). 
She  finally  espoused  Delling  (day-break),  of  asa-race, 
and  their  son  was  Day  (dagr),  a  child  light  and  fair  like 
his  father.  Allfather  gave  Night  and  Day  two  horses 
and  two  cars,  and  set  them  tip  in  the  heavens  that  they 
might  drive  successively  one  after  the  other,  each  in 
twenty-four  hours'  time,  round  the  world.  Night  rides 
first  with  her  steed  Hrimfaxe  (rime-fax),*  that  every 
morn,  as  he  ends  his  course,  bedews  the  earth  with  the 
foam  from  his  bit.  The  steed  driven  by  Day  is  called 
Skinfaxe  (shining-fax),  and  all  the  sky  and  earth  glistens 
from  his  mane.  Thus  the  Elder  Edda,  in  the  lay  of 
Vafthrudner : 

Mundilfare  liiglit  lie 

Who  tlie  moon's  fatlier  is, 

And  also  the  sun's : 

Round  heaven  journey 

Each  day  they  must, 

To  count  years  for  men. 

In  the  lay  of  Grimner: 

Aarvak  and  Alsvid, 
Theirs  it  is  up  hence 
•  Tired  the  sun  to  draw  ■ 

Under  their  shoulder 
These  gentle  powers,  the  gods, 
Have  concealed  an  iron-coolness. 

Svalin  the  shield  is  called 

Which  stands  before  the  sun. 

The  refulgent  deity  ; 

Rocks  and  ocean  must,  I  ween. 

Be  burnt, 

Fell  it  from  its  place. 

*  Fax  —  hair. 


THE   SUN.  179 

In  the  lay  of  Vafthrudner : 

Delling  called  is  he 
Who  the  Day's  father  is, 
But  Night  was  of  Norve  born; 
The  new  and  waning  moons 
The  beneficent  powers  created 
To  count  years  for  men. 

Skinfaxe  he  is  named 

That  the  bright  day  draws 

Forth  over  human  kind ; 

Of  coursers  he  is  best  accounted 

Among  faring  men ; 

Ever  sheds  light  that  horse's  mane. 

Hrimfaxe  he  is  called 

That  each  night  draws  forth 

Over  the  beneficent  powers ; 

He  from  his  bit  lets  fall 

Drops  every  morn 

Whence  in  the  dells  comes  dew. 

The  sun  speeds  at  such  a  rate  as  if  she  feared  that 
some  one  was  pursuing  her  for  her  destruction.  And 
well  she  may ;  for  he  that  seeks  her  is  not  far  behind, 
and  she  has  no  other  way  to  escape  than  to  run  before 
him.  But  who  is  he  that  causes  her  this  anxiety? 
There  are  two  wolves;  the  one,  whose  name  is  Skol,, 
pursues  the  sun,  and  it  is  he  that  she  fears,  for  he  shall 
one  day  overtake  and  devour  her.  The  other,  whose 
name  is  Hate  Hrodvitneson,  runs  before  her  and  as 
eagerly  pursues  the  moon,  that  will  one  day  be  caught 
by  him.  Whence  come  these  wolves  ?  Answer :  A 
giantess  dwells  in  a  wood  called  Jarnved  (ironwood). 
It  is  situated  east  of  Midgard,  and  is  the  abode  of  a 
race  of  witches.  This  old  hag  is  the  mother  of  many 
gigantic  sons,  who  are  all  of  them  shaped  like  wolves, 
two  of  whom  are  Skol  and  Hate.     There  is  one  of  that 


180  THE   SEASONS. 

race  who  is  the  most  formidable  of  all.  His  name  is 
Maanagarm  (moon-swallower) :  he  is  filled  with  the  life- 
blood  of  men  who  draw  near  their  end,  and  he  will 
swallow  up  the  moon,  and  stain  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  with  blood.  As  it  is  said  in  the  Voluspa,  of  the 
Elder  Edda: 

Eastward  in  the  Ironwood 
The  old  one  sitteth, 
And  there  bringeth  forth 
Fenrer's  fell  kindred. 
Of  these,  one,  the  mightiest. 
The  moon's  devourer, 
In  form  most  fiend-like, 
And  filled  with  the  life-blood 
Of  the  dead  and  the  dying. 
Reddens  with  ruddy  gore 
The  seats  of  the  high  gods. 
Then  shall  the  sunshine 
Of  summer  be  darkened, 
And  fickle  the  weather. 
Conceive  ye  this  or  not? 

The  gods  set  Evening  and  Midnight,  Morning  and 
Noon,  Forenoon  and  Afternoon,  to  count  out  the  year. 
There  were  only  two  seasons,  summer  and  winter ;  hence 
spring  and  fall  must  be  included  in  these  two.  The 
father  of  summer  is  called  Svasud  (the  mild),  who  is 
such  a  gentle  and  delicate  being,  that  what  is  mild  is 
from  him  called  sweet  (svaslekt).  The  father  of  winter 
has  two  names,  Vindlone  and  Vindsval  (the  wind-cool) ; 
he  is  the  son  of  Vasud  (sleet-bringing),  and,  like  all  his 
race,  has  an  icy  breath  and  is  of  grim  and  gloomy 
aspect. 

Whence  come  the  winds,  that  are  so  strong  that 
they  move  the  ocean  and  fan  fire  to  flame,  and  still  are 
so  airy  that  no  mortal  eye  can  discern  them  ?  Answer : 
In  the  northern  extremity  of  the  heavens  sits  a  giant 


THE    ELDER   EJDJJA.  181 

called  HrjBsvelger  (corpse-swallower),  clad  with  eagles' 
plumes.  When  he  spreads  out  his  wings  for  flight,  the 
winds  arise  from  under  them. 

Which  is  the  path  leading  from  earth  to  heaven  ? 
The  gods  made  a  bridge  from  earth  to  heaven  and  called 
it  Bifrost  (the  vibrating  way).  We  have  all  seen  it  and 
call  it  the  rainbow.  It  is  of  three  hues  and  constructed 
with  more  art  than  any  other  work.  But  though  strong 
it  be,  it  will  be  broken  to  pieces  when  the  sons  of  Mus- 
pel,  after  having  traversed  great  rivers,  shall  ride  over 
it.  There  is  nothing  in  nature  that  can  hope  to  make 
resistance  when  the  sons  of  Muspel  sally  forth  to  the 
great  combat.  Now  listen  to  the  Elder  Edda  on  some 
of  these  subjects. 

In  the  lay  of  Grimner: 

Skol  the  wolf  is  named 

That  the  fair-faced  goddess 

To  the  ocean  chases ; 

Another  Hate  is  called, 

He  is  Hrodvitner's  son  : 

He  the  bright  maid  of  heaven  shall  precede. 

In  the  Voluspa: 

Then  went  the  powers  all 

To  their  judgment  seats. 

The  all-holy  gods. 

And  thereon  held  council: 

To  night  and  to  the  waning  moon 

Gav'e  names ; 

Morn  they  named 

And  mid-day. 

Afternoon  and  eve. 

Whereby  to  reckon  years. 

In  the  lay  of  Vafthrudner: 

Vindsval  is  his  name 
Who  winter's  father  is. 


182  lilL   AND    HJUKE. 

And  Svasud  summer's  fatlier  is: 
Yearly  they  both 
Shall  ever  journey. 
Until  the  powers  perish. 

Hraesvelger  is  his  name 

Who  at  the  end  of  heaven  sits, 

A  giant  in  an  eagle's  plumage : 

From  his  wings  comes. 

It  is  said,  the  wind 

That  over  all  men  passes. 

In  reference  to  Maane,  it  should  be  added,  that  tlie 
Younger  Edda  tells  us,  that  he  once  took  children  from 
earth.  Their  names  were  Bil  and  Hjuke.  They  went 
from  the  spring  called  Byrger,  and  bore  on  their  shoul- 
ders the  bucket  called  Sanger  with  the  pole  called  Simul. 
Their  father's  name  was  Vidfin.  These  children  follow 
Maane,  as  may  be  seen,  from  the  earth. 

SECTION"  VI.  THE  GOLDEN  AGE.  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE 
DWARFS.  THE  CREATION  OF  THE  FIRST  MAN  AND 
WOMAN. 

In  the  beginning  Allfather  (Odin)  appointed  rulers 
and  bade  them  judge  with  him  the  fate  of  men  and 
regulate  the  government  of  the  celestial  city.  They  met 
for  this  purpose  in  a  place  called  Idavold  (the  plains  of 
Ida),  which  is  the  center  of  the  divine  abode  (Asgard, 
the  abode  of  the  asas).  Their  first  work  was  to  erect 
a  court  or  hall,  where  there  are  twelve  seats  for  them- 
selves, besides  the  throne  which  is  occupied  by  All- 
father.  This  hall  is  the  largest  and  most  magnificent 
in  the  universe,  being  resplendent  on  all  sides  both 
within  and  without  with  the  finest  gold.  Its  name  is 
Gladsheim  (home  of  gladness).  They  also  erected  an- 
other hall  for  the  sanctuary  of  the  goddesses.     It  is  a 


THE    DWARFS.  183 

fair  strnctare  and  is  called  Vingolf  (friends'-floor). 
Thereupon  they  built  a  smithy  and  furnished  it  with 
hammers,  tongs  and  anvils,  and  with  these  made  all 
other  requisite  instruments  with  which  they  worked  in 
metals,  stone  and  wood,  and  composed  so  large  a  quan- 
tity of  the  metal  called  gold,  that  they  made  all  their 
house-furniture  of  it.  Hence  that  age  was  called  the 
Golden  Age.  This  was  the  age  that  lasted  until  the 
arrival  of  the  women  out  of  Jotunheim,  who  corrupted  it. 

Then  the  gods  seating  themselves  upon  their  thrones 
distributed  justice,  and  remembered  how  the  dwarfs  had 
l3een  bred  in  the  mould  of  the  earth,  just  as  worms  in 
a  dead  body.  The  dwarfs  were  quickened  as  maggots 
in  the  flesh  of  the  old  giant  Ymer,  but  by  the  com- 
mand of  the  gods  they  received  the  form  and  under- 
standing of  men ;  their  abode  was,  however,  in  the 
earth  and  rocks.  Four  dwarfs,  Austre  (east),  Vestre 
(west),  Nordre  (north),  and  Sudre  (south),  were  ap- 
pointed by  the  gods  to  bear  up  the  sky.  Of  the  race 
of  dwarfs  Modsogner  and  Durin  are  the  principal  ones. 

There  were  not  yet  any  human  beings  upon  the  earth, 
when  one  day,  as  the  sons  of  Bor  (Odin,  Keener  and 
Loder)  were  walking  along  the  sea-beach,  they  found  two 
trees  and  created  from  them  the  first  human  pair,  man 
a,nd  woman.  Odin  gave  them  life  and  spirit,  endowed 
them  with  reason  and  the  power  of  motion,  and  Loder 
^ave  them  blood,  hearing,  vision  and  a  fair  complexion. 
The  man  they  called  Ask,  and  the  woman  Embla.  The 
newly  created  pair  received  from  the  gods  Midgard  as 
their  abode;  and  from  Ask  and  Embla  is  descended 
the  whole  human  family.  Thus  the  Elder  Edda,  in 
Voluspa  •. 


184  THE    ELDER    EDDA. 

The  asas  met 
On  Ida's  plains  ; 
They  altars  raised 
And  temples  built ; 
Furnaces  they  established. 
Precious  things  forged. 
Their  strength  they  tried 
In  many  ways 
When  making  tongs 
And  forming  tools. 

On  the  green  they  played 
In  joyful  mood, 
Nor  knew  at  all 
The  want  of  gold, 
Until  there  came 
Three  giant  maids 
Exceeding  strong 
From  Jotunheim. 

Then  all  the  powers 
Went  to  the  throne. 
The  holy  gods, 
And  held  consult 
Who  should  of  dwarfs 
The  race  then  fashion 
From  the  livid  bones 
And  blood  of  the  giant. 

Modsogner,  chief 
Of  the  dwarfish  race, 
And  Durin,  too, 
Were  then  created  ; 
And  like  to  men 
Dwarfs  in  the  earth 
Were  formed  in  numbers 
As  Durin  ordered. 

And  then  there  came 
Out  of  the  ranks, 
Powerful  and   fair. 
Three  asas  home. 


THE    GODS   AND   THEIR    ABODES.  185 

And  found  on  sliore. 
In  helpless  plight, 
Ask  and  Embla  * 
Without  their  fate. 

They  had  not  yet 
Spirit  or  mind. 
Blood  or  beauty 
Or  lovely  hue. 
Odin  gave  spirit, 
Hcsner  gave  mind, 
Loder  gave  blood 
And  lovely  hue. 

SECTION   VII.      THE    GODS   AND   THEIR   ABODES. 

In  the  Old  Norse  language  a  god  is  called  ass  (pi. 
cesir)  and  a  goddess  dsyitja.  The  gods  dwell  in  Asgard. 
In  its  midst  are  the  plains  of  Ida  {Idav'OUr,  the  assem- 
bling-place of  the  gods),  and  Odin's  high-seat  Hlid- 
skjalf,  from  where  he  looks  out  upon  all  the  worlds. 
But  above  the  heaven  of  the  asas  are  higher  heavens, 
and  in  the  highest  stands  the  imperishable  gold-roofed 
hall  Gimle,  which  is  brighter  than  the  sun. 

The  gods,  to  whom  divine  honors  must  be  rendered, 
are  twelve  in  number,  and  their  names  are  Odin,  Thor, 
Balder,  Tyr,  Brage,  Heimdal,  Hoder,  Vidar,  Vale,  Uller, 
Forsete,  Loke.  In  this  list  Njord  and  Frey  are  not 
mentioned,  for  they  originally  belonged  to  the  vans  or 
sea-gods,  and  were  received  among  the  asas  by  virtue 
of  a  treaty  in  which  Njord  was  given  as  a  hostage,  and 
Frey  is  his  son.  "• 

Of  goddesses  we  find  the  number  twenty-six,  and 
Vingolf  is  their  hall.  Odin's  hall  is  the  great  Valhal. 
Spears  support  its  ceiling ;  it  is  roofed  with  shields,  and 
coats  of  mail  adorn  its  benches.     Thither   and  to  Vin- 

♦  Ash  and  Elm. 

16 


186  THE    GODS   AN"D   THEIR   ABODES. 

golf  Odin  iuvites  all  men  wounded  by  arms  or  ~ fallen 
in  battle.  Therefore  lie  is  called  Valfatlier  (father  of 
the  slain),  and  his  invited  guests  are  called  einherjes. 
They  are  waited  upon  by  valkyries. 

The  dwelling  of  Thor  is  Thrudvang  or  Thrudheim. 
His  hall,  the  immense  Bilskirner.  Uller,  Thor's  son, 
lives  in  Ydaler.  Balder  lives  in  Breidablik,"  where  noth- 
ing impure  is  found.  Njord,  one  of  the  vans,  dwells 
in  Noatun  by  the  sea.  Heimdal  inhabits  Himinbjorg, 
which  stands  where  Bifrost's  bridge  approaches  heaven, 
Forsete  has  Glitner  for  his  dwelling,  whose  roof  of  silver 
rests  on  golden  columns.  The  chief  goddess  Frigg,  wife 
of  Odin,  has  her  dwelling-place  in  Fensal,  and  Freyja, 
the  goddess  of  love,  dwells  in  Folkvang ;  her  hall  is  Sess- 
rymner.  Saga  dwells  in  the  great  Sokvabek  under  the 
cool  waves ;  there  she  drinks  with  Odin  every  day  from 
golden  vessels. 

We  have  so  far  mentioned  the  following  classes  of 
deities:  giants,  gods,  goddesses,  vans  (sea-deities),  and 
dwarfs.  In  addition  to  these  the  Younger  Edda  men- 
tions two  kinds  of  elves:  elves  of  light  and  elves  of 
darkness.  The  elves  of  light  dwell  in  Alfheim  (home 
of  the  elves),  but  the  elves  of  darkness  live  under  the 
earth,  and  diflFer  from  the  others  still  more  in  their  ac- 
tions than  in  their  appearance.  The  elves  of  light  are 
fairer  than  the  sun,  but  the  elves  of  darkness  blacker 
than  pitch. 

Then  we  have  a  lot  of  inferior  spirits,  such  as  trolls, 
hulder,  witches  {vcettr),  nisses,  necks,  etc.,  all  of  which 
figure  extensively  in  the  Norse  folk-lore,  but  an  exten- 
sive description  of  them  will  not  be  attempted  in  this 
work. 


DIVISIONS    OF   THE    WORLD.  187 

SECTION   VIII.      THE    DIVISIONS    OF   THE   WORLD. 

Nine  worlds  are  mentioued:  Muspelheim,  Asaheim, 
Ljosalfalieim,  Vauaheim,  Mannaheim,  Jotunheim,  Svar- 
talfalieim,  Helheim,  Niflheim.  The  highest  is  Miispel- 
herxii  (the  iire-world),  the  realm  of  Surt,  and  in  its 
highest  regions  it  appears  that  Gimle  (heaven)  was 
thought  to  be  situated.  The  lowest  is  Niflheim  (the 
mist-world),  the  realm  of  cold  and  darkness,  and  in  its 
midst  is  the  fountain  Hvergelmer,  where  the  dragon 
Nidhug  dwells.  Between  the  two  is  Mannaheim  (the 
world  of  man)  or  Midgard,  the  round  disk  of  the 
earth,  surrounded  by  the  great  ocean.  The  gods  gave 
Ask  and  Embla,  the  first  human  pair,  and  their  de- 
scendants, this  world  to  dwell  in.  Far  above  Manna- 
heim is  Asaheim  (the  world  of  the  gods),  forming  a 
vault  above  the  earth.  In  the  midst  of  this  world  is 
Idavold,  the  assembling-place  of  the  gods,  and  here  is 
also  Odin's  lofty  throne  Hlidskjalf.  Beyond  the  ocean 
is  Jotunheim  (the  world  of  the  giants).  This  world  is 
separated  from  Asaheim  by  the  river  Ifing,  which  never 
freezes  over.  Nearest  above  the  earth  is  Ljosalfaheim 
(the  world  of  the  light  elves),  and  between  it  and  Asa- 
heim is  Vanaheim  (the  world  of  the  vans).  Proceeding 
downward,  we  come  first  to  Svartalfaheim  (world  of 
the  dark  elves),  below  Mannaheim,  and  between  Svart- 
alfaheim and  Niflheim  we  have  Helheim  (the  world  of 
the  dead,  hell).  Thither  the  way  from  the  upper  worlds 
led  down  by  the  north  through  Jotunheim  over  the 
stream  Gjol,  the  bridge  over  which,  called  Gjallar-bridge, 
was  roofed  over  with  shining  gold. 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE     PRESERVATION. 

THE    ASH     YGDKASIL,       MIMER's     EOUNTAIISr.       URD's 
FOUJSfTAI]Sr.      THE   NORNS    OR   FATES. 

TGDRASIL  is  one  of  the  noblest  conceptions  that 
ever  entered  into  any  scheme  of  cosmogony  or 
human  existence.  It  is  in  fact  the  great  tree  of  life, 
Avonderfully  elaborated  and  extended  through  the  Avhole 
system  of  the  universe.  It  furnishes  bodies  for  mankind 
from  its  branches;  it  strikes  its  roots  through  all  worlds, 
and  spreads  its  life-giving  arms  through  the  heavens. 
All  life  is  cherished  by  it,  even  that  of  serpents,  which 
devour  its  roots  and  seek  to  destroy  it.  It  has  three 
grand  roots  far  apart.  One  of  them  extends  to  the 
asas,  another  to  the  giants  in  that  very  place  where 
was  formerly  Ginungagap,  and  the  third  stands  over 
Niflheim,  and  under  this  root,  which  is  constantly 
gnawed  by  the  serpent  Nidhug  and  all  his  reptile 
brood,  is  the  fountain  Ilvergelmer.  Under  the  root 
that  stretches  out  toward  the  giants  is  Mimer's  fount- 
ain, in  which  wisdom  and  wit  lie  hid.  The  owner  of 
this  fountain  is  called  Mimer.  He  is  full  of  wisdom, 
because  he  drinks  the  waters  of  the  fountain  every 
morning  with  the  Gjallarhorn.  Once  Odin  came  and 
begged  a  draught  of  this  water,  which  he  received,  but 
he  had  to  leave  one  of  his  eyes  in  pawn  for  it.  Thus 
it  is  recorded  in  the  Elder  Edda: 

(188) 


MIMER   AND   THE    URDAR-POUNTAIN.  189 

Full  well  I  know. 
Great  Odin,  where 
Thine  eye  thou  lost; 
In  Mimer's  well, 
The  fountain  pure. 
Mead  Miuier  drinks 
Each  morning  new, 
With  Odin's  pledge. 
Conceive  ye  this  ? 

Under  the  root  of  Ygdrasil,  which  extends  to  the 
asas  in  heaven,  is  the  holy  Urdar-fountain.  Here  the 
gods  sit  in  judgment.  Every  day  they  ride  up  hither 
on  horseback  over  Bifrost  (the  rainbow),  which  is  called 
the  bridge  of  the  gods  {dsbril).  Odin  rides  his  gray 
eight-footed  Sleipner,  Heimdal  on  Goldtop.  The  other 
horses  are  G-lad  (bright),  Gyller  (gilder),  Gler  (the 
shining  one),  Skeidbrimer  (fleet-foot),  Silfrintop  (silver 
top),  Siner  (sinews),  Gisl  (the  sunbeam),  Falhofner  (pale 
hoof),  Letfet  (light-foot).  It  has  been  stated  before 
that  the  gods  worthy  of  divine  honors  were  twelve,  and 
here  we  have  ten  horses  named.  Balder's  and  Thor's 
are  wanting.  Balder's  horse  was  burnt  with  his  mas- 
ter's body,  and  as  for  Thor,  he  has  to  go  on  foot.  He 
cannot  pass  the  Asabridge,  for  the  thunder,  which  he  is, 
would  destroy  it;  therefore  he  daily  wades  through  the 
rivers  Kormt,  Ormt,  and  two  others  called  Kerlaug,  to 
get  to  the  council  of  the  gods. 

The  giants  cannot  pass  the  Asabridge,  for  the  red  in 
it  is  burning  fire  and  the  waters'  of  heaven  roar  around 
it.  If  it  were  easy  for  every  one  to  walk  over  it,  the 
giants  would  go  up  to  heaven  by  that  bridge,  and 
perhaps  succeed  in  bringing  ruin  upon  the  gods. 

At  the  Urdar-fountain  dwell  also  three  maidens, 
named  Urd,  Verdande  and  Skuld  (Present,  Past  and 
Future).     These   maidens   fix   the  lifetime  of  all    men, 


190  THE   JSrORNS, 

and  are  called  norns.  They  guard  the  fountain,  which 
takes  its  name  from  the  first  and  highest  of  the  three, 
Urd  (Urdar-fount).  Besides  these  there  are  other  norns, 
some  of  which  are  of  heavenly  origin,  but  others  be- 
long to  the  races  of  elves  and  dwarfs.  The  norns 
who  are  of  good  origin  are  good  themselves,  and  dis- 
pense good  destinies.  Those  men  to  whom  mis- 
fortunes happen  ought  to  ascribe  them  to  the  evil 
norns.  Thus  it  is  that  some  men  are  fortunate  and 
wealthy,  while  others  acquire  neither  riches  nor  honors ; 
some  live  to  a  good  old  age,  while  others  are  cut  off  in 
their  prime. 

Furthermore  it  must  be  stated  of  the  ash  Ygdrasil, 
that  on  its  topmost  bough  sits  an  eagle  who  knows 
many  things,  and  between  the  eagle's  eyes  sits  a  hawk 
by  name  Vedfolner.  A  squirrel,  whose  name  is  Katatosk, 
runs  up  and  down  the  tree,  and  seeks  to  cause  strife 
between  the  eagle  and  the  serpent  Nidhug.  Four  stags 
leap  about  beneath  its  branches  and  feed  on  its  buds. 
They  are  called  Daain,  Dvalin,  Duneyr,  and  Durathror. 
But  there  are  so  many  snakes  with  Nidhug  in  the  fount- 
ain Hvergelmer,  that  no  tongue  can  count  them.  Thus 
the  Elder  Edda: 

The  tree  Ygdrasil 
Bears  a  sorer  burden 
Than  men  imagine. 
Above  the  stags  bite  it, 
On  its  sides  age  rots  it, 
Nidhug  gnaws  below. 

More  serpents  lie 
Under  Ygdrasil's  ash 
Than  simpletons  think  of; 
Goin  and  Moin, 
The  sons  of  Grafvitner, 


THE   NORNS.  191 

Graabak  and  GrafvoUud, 
Ofner  and  Svafner, 
Must  for  aye,  methiuks, 
Gnaw  the  roots  of  tliat  tree. 

The  norns,  who  dwell  by  the  Urdar-fount,  every  day 
draw  water  from  this  spring,  and  with  it,  and  the  clay 
that  lies  around  the  fount,  they  sprinkle  the  ash,  in 
order  that  the  boughs  may  continue  green,  and  not  rot 
and  wither  away.  This  water  is  so  holy  that  everything 
placed  in  the  spring  becomes  as  white  as  the  film  within 
an  egg-shell.     Thus  the  Elder  Edda: 

An  ash  know  I  standing 
Named  Ygdrasil, 
A  stately  tree  sprinkled 
With  water,  the  purest ; 
Thence  come  the  dewdrops 
That  fall  in  the  dales ; 
Ever  blooming  it  stands 
O'er  the  Urdar-fountain. 

The  dew  that  falls  from  the  tree  on  the  earth  men 
call  honey-dew,  and  it  is  the  food  of  the  bees.  Finally, 
two  swans  swim  in  the  Urdar-fountain,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  the  race  of  swans.  Thus  all  the  tribes  of 
nature  partake  of  the  universal  tree. 


CHAPTER  III. 


EXEGETICAL    REMARKS    UPOK   THE    CREATION    AND 
PRESERVATION    OF   THE    WORLD. 

IN  the  Norse  as  in  all  mythologies,  the  beginning 
of  creation  is  a  cosmogony  presenting  many  ques- 
tions difficult  of  solution.  The  natural  desire  of  knowl- 
edge asks  for  the  origin  of  all  things ;  and  as  the 
beginning  always  remains  inexplicable,  the  mind  tries 
to  satisfy  itself  by  penetrating  as  far  into  the  primeval 
forms  of  matter  and  means  of  sustaining  life  as  possi- 
ble. We  follow  the  development  of  the  tree  back  to  the 
seed  and  then  to  the  embryo  of  the  seed,  but  still  we 
are  unable  to  explain  how  a  miniature  oak  can  exist  in 
scarcely  more  than  a  mere  point  in  the  acorn.  We  even 
inspect  the  first  development  of  the  plant  with  the 
microscope,  but  we  acquire  knowledge  not  of  the  force, 
but  only  of  its  manifestations  or  phenomena.  Such  was 
also  the  experience  of  our  ancestors,  when  they  inquired 
into  the  origin  of  this  world.  They  had  the  same  desire 
to  know,  but  were  not  so  well  provided  with  means  of 
finding  out,  as  we  are  with  our  microscopic,  telescopic, 
and  spectrum  analysis  instruments. 

The  first  effort  of  the  speculative  man  is  to  solve  the 
mystery  of  existence.  The  first  question  is:  How  has 
this  world  begun  to  be?  What  was  in  the  beginning, 
or  what  was  there  before  there  yet  was  anything  ?  In 
the  Greek  mythology  many  forms  seem  to  arise  out  of 
night,  which  seems  to  shroud  them   all.      Thus  in  the 

(192) 


POND  us    INEKS.  '  103 

Norse  mythology  the  negative  is  the  first,  a  conditio 
sine  qua  non,  space  we  might  say,  which  we  must  con- 
ceive of  as  existing,  before  anything  can  be  conceived  as 
existing  in  it.  Our  ancestors  imagined  in  the  beginning 
only  a  yawning  gap  in  which  there  was  absolutely  noth- 
ing. Wonderfully  enough  they  said  that  the  one  side 
of  this  immense  gulf  extended  to  the  north  and  the 
other  to  the  south,  as  though  there  could  be  such  things 
as  north  and  south  before  the  creation  of  the  world. 
Tlie  north  side  was  cold,  the  south  warm ;  and  thus  we 
find  by  closer  inspection  that  this  nothing  still  was 
something,  that  contained  in  itself  opposite  forces,  cold 
and  heat,  force  of  contraction  and  force  of  expansion, 
but  these  forces  were  in  a  state  of  absolute  inertia. 
Thus  also  the  Greek  chaos: 

rudis  indigestaque  moles. 

Nee  quidquam  nisi  pondus  iuers,  congestaque  eodem. 
Non  bene  junctarum  discordia  semina  rerum. 

We  cannot  conceive  how  a  body  containing  two 
forces  can  be  a  pondus  iners,  for  every  force  is  infinite 
and  cannot  rest  unless  it  is  prisoned  by  its  opposite 
force,  and  this  is  then  strife.  The  Norse  view  is,  philo- 
sophically speaking,  more  correct.  Here  the  opposite 
r forces  are  separated  by  a  gulf,  and  as  they  cannot  pene- 
trate the  empty  space,  they  remain  inert. 

It  has  before  been  stated  that  the  Norsemen  believed 
in  a  great  and  almighty  god,  who  was  greater  than  Odin. 
This  god  appears  in  the  creation  of  the  world,  where 
he  sends  the  heated  blasts  from  Muspelheim  and  imparts 
life  to  the  melted  drops  of  rime.  He  will  appear  again 
as  the  just  and  mighty  one,  who  is  to  reign  witli  Bal- 
der in  the  regenerated  earth.     He  is  the  true  Allfather. 

When  the  thought  was  directed  to  inquire  into  the 
17 


194  THE   SUPREME   GOD. 

origin  of  the  world,  one  question  would  naturally  sug- 
gest another,  thus: 

Question :  What  produced  the  world  ?  Answer :  The 
giant  Ymer. 

Question :  But  on  what  did  the  giant  Ymer  live  ? 
Answer :  On  the  milk  of  a  cow. 

Question  :  What  did  the  cow  live  on  ?  Answer :  On 
salt. 

Question  :  Where  did  the  salt  come  fi'om  ?  Answer : 
From  the  rime. 

Question :  Whence  came  the  rime  ?  Answer :  From 
ice-cold  streams. 

Question:  Whence  came  the  cold?  Answer:  From 
Niflheim. 

Question :  But  what  gave  life  to  the  rime  ?  Answer : 
The  heat. 

Question :  Whence  came  the  heat  ?  Answer :  From 
him  who  sent  it. 

Here  inquiry  could  go  no  further.  This  process 
brought  the  inquirer  to  the  god  whom  he  dared  not 
name,  the  author  and  ruler  of  all  things.  Tliis  unknown 
god  thus  appears  only  before  the  creation  and  after 
the  fall  of  the  world.  He  is  not  a  god  of  time  but  of 
eternity.     He  is  from  everlasting  to  everlasting. 

The  Elder  Edda  calls  Ymer,  Aurgelmer,  father  of 
Thrudgelmer  and  grandfather  of  Bergelmer  (Berggel- 
mer.)  The  first  syllables  of  these  words  express  the 
gradual  hardening  of  matter  from  aur  (loose  clay)  to 
thrud  (packed,  compressed,  strong  clay),  and  finally  to 
herg  (rock).  Ymer,  that  is,  the  first  chaotic  world- 
mass,  is  produced  by  the  union  of  frost  and  fire.  The 
dead  cold  matter  is  quickened  by  the  heat  into  a  huge 
shapeless  giant,  which  has  to  be  slain ;  that  is,  the  crude 
matter  had  to  be  broken   to  pieces  before  it  could   be 


THE    COW   AUDHUMBLA.  195 

remodeled  into  the  various  forms  which  nature  since  has 
assumed.  This  Hving  mass,  Ymer,  produces  many  beings 
like  himself,  frost-cold,  stone-Hke,  shapeless  frost-giants 
and  mountain  giants  (icebergs  and  mountains).  In  these 
forms  evil  is  still  predominant.  All  are  allied  to  the 
world  of  cold  and  darkness.  It  is  only  the  lower,  the 
physical,  world-life  which  moves  in  them. 

But  a  better  being,  although  of  animal  nature, —  the 
cow  Audhumbla  —  came  into  existence  from  the  frozen 
vapor,  as  the  nurse  of  Ymer.  This  power  nourishes 
the  chaotic  world,  and  at  the  same  time  calls  forth  by 
its  refining  agency  —  by  licking  the  rime-clumps  —  a 
higher  spiritual  life,  which  unfolds  itself  through  several 
links  —  through  Bure,  the  bearing  (father),  and  Bor, 
the  born  (son)  —  until  it  has  gained  power  suiScient  to 
overcome  chaotic  matter — to  kill  Ymer  and  his  off- 
spring. This  conquering  power  is  divinity  itself,  which 
now  in  the  form  of  a  trinity  goes  forth  as  a  creative 
power  —  as  spirit,  will  and  holiness,  in  the  brothers  Odin, 
Vile  and'  Ve.  The  spirit  quickens,  the  will  arranges, 
and  holiness  banishes  the  impure  and  evil.  It  is  how- 
ever only  in  the  creation  of  the  world  that  these  three 
brothers  are  represented  as  cooperating.  Vile  and  Ve 
are  not  mentioned  again  in  the  whole  mythology.  They 
are  blended  together  m  the  all-embracing,  all-pervadmg 
world-spirit  Odin,  who  is  the  essence  of  the  world,  the 
almighty  god. 

This  idea  of  a  trinity  appears  twice  more  in  the 
Norse  mythology.  In  the  gylfaginning  of  the  Younger 
Edda,  Ganglere  sees  three  thrones,  raised  one  above  the 
other,  and  a  man  sitting  on  each  of  them.  Upon  his 
asking  what  the  names  of  these  lords  might  be,  his  guide 
answered:  He  who  sitteth  on  the  lowest  throne  is  a 
king,  and  his  name  is  Haar  (the   high   or  lofty  one) ; 


100  TRINITY. 

the  second  is  Jafnliaar  (equally  high) ;  but  he  who 
sitteth  on  the  highest  throne  is  called  Thride  (the 
third).  Then  in  the  creation  of  man  the  divinity  ap- 
pears in  the  form  of  a  trinity.  The  three  gods,  Odin, 
Hoener,  and  Loder,  create  the  first  human  pair,  each 
one  imparting  to  them  a  gift  corresponding  to  his 
own  nature.  Odin  {d)id,  spirit)  gives  them  spirit,  the 
spiritual  life ;  he  is  himself  the  spirit  of  the  world, 
of  which  man's  is  a  reflection.  Hoener  (light)  illumi- 
nates the  soul  with  understanding  {d(h').  Loder  (fire, 
Germ,  lodern,  to  flame)  gives  the  warm  blood  and 
the  blushing  color,  together  with  the  burning  keenness 
of  the  senses.  It  is  evident  that  Odin's  brothers  on 
these  occasions  are  mere  emanations  of  his  being ,  they 
proceed  from  him,  and  only  represent  diflerent  phases 
of  the  same  divine  power.  Loder  is  probably  the 
same  person  as  afterwards  steps  forward  as  an  inde- 
pendent divinity  by  name  Loke.  When  he  was  united 
with  Odin  in  the  trinity  he  sends  a  quiet,  gentle  and 
invisible  flame  of  light  through  the  veins  of  Ask  and 
Embla,  that  is  of  mankind.  Afterwards,  assuming  the 
name  of  Loke,  he  becomes  the  consuming  fire  of  the 
earth.  Loder  produces  and  develops  life;  Loke  cor- 
rupts  and   destroys   life. 

By  the  creation  the  elements  are  separated.  Ymer's 
body  is  parceled  out ;  organic  life  begins.  But  the 
chaotic  powers,  though  conquered,  are  not  destroyed; 
a  giant  escapes  in  his  ark  with  his  family,  and  from 
them  comes  a  new  race  of  giants.  Disturbing  and 
deadly  influences  are  perceptible  everywhere  in  nature, 
and  these  influences  are  represented  by  the  hostile 
dispositions  of  the  giants  toward  the  asas  and  of 
their  struggles  to  destroy  the  work  of  the  latter.  The 
giants  have  been  forced  to   fly  to  Jotunheim,  to  Ut- 


THE    GOLDEN"    AGE.  197 

gard,  to  the  outermost  deserts  beyond  the  sea ;  but 
still  they  manage  to  get  within  Midgard,  the  abode  of 
man,  and  here  they  dwell  in  the  rugged  mountains, 
in  the  ice-clad  jokuls  and  in  the  barren  deserts,  in 
short,  everywhere  where  any  barrenness  prevails.  Their 
agency  is  perceptible  in  the  devastating  storms  caused 
by  the  wind-strokes  of  Hr^esvelger,  the  giant  eagle  in 
the  North ;  it  is  felt  in  winter's  cold,  snow  and  ice, 
and  in  all  the  powers  of  nature  which  are  unfriendly 
to    fruitfulness   and   life. 

The  golden  age  of  the  gods,  when 

On  the  green  they  played 

In  joyful  mood. 

Nor  knew  at  all 

The  want  of  gold, 

Until  there  came 

Three  giant  maids 

From  Jotunheim, 

represents  the  golden  age  of  the  child  and  the  childhood 
of  the  human  race.  The  life  of  the  gods  in  its  dif- 
ferent stages  of  development  resembles  the  life  of  men. 
Childhood  is  innocent  and  happy,  manhood  brings 
with  it  cares  and  troubles.  The  gods  were  happy 
and  played  on  the  green  so  long  as  their  develop- 
ment had  not  yet  taken  any  decided  outv/ard  direc- 
tion ;  but  this  freedom  from  care  ended  when  they 
had  to  make  dwarfs  and  men,  and  through  them  got 
a  whole  world  full  of  troubles  and  anxieties  to  provide 
for  and  protect, —  just  as  the  golden  age  ends  for  the 
child  when  it  enters  upon  the  activities  of  life,  and 
for  the  race,  when  it  enters  into  the  many  complications 
and  cares  of  organized  society.  The  gods  played  with 
pieces  of  gold.  The  pure  gold  symbolizes  innocence. 
These   pieces    of   gold    {gullnar    tqflur)  were    lost,    but 


198  CEEATION    OF   MAN. 

were  found  again  in  the  green  grass  of  the  regen- 
erated earth.  From  the  above  it  must  be  clear  that 
the  three  giant  maids,  who  came  from  Jotunheim 
and  put  an  end  to  the  golden  age,  must  be  the  norns, 
the  all-pervading  necessity  that  develops  the  child  into 
manhood.  It  does  not  follow,  therefore,  that  these 
maids  were  giantesses,  for  the  gods  themselves  descended 
from  the  giants.  Nor  did  the  norns  introduce  evil  into 
the  world,  but  they  marked  out  for  the  gods  a  career 
which  could  not  be  changed;  and  immediately  after 
the  appearance  of  the  maids  from  Jotunheim  the  gods 
must  create  man,  whose  fate  those  same  norns  would 
afterwards  determine. 

The  gods  did  not  create  the  dwarfs,  but  only  deter- 
mined that  they  were  to  have  the  form  and  under- 
standing of  men. 

Man  was  made  of  trees  —  of  the  ash  and  the  elm. 
There  is  something  graceful  in  this  idea.  The  Norse 
conception  certainly  is  of  a  higher  order  than  those 
which  produce  man  from  earth  or  stones.  It  is  more 
natural  and  more  noble  to  regard  man  as  having  been 
made  of  trees,  which  as  they  grow  from  the  earth 
heavenward  show  an  unconscious  attraction  to  that 
which  is  divine,  than,  as  the  Greeks  do,  to  make  men 
stand  forth  out  of  cold  clay  and  hard  stones.  We  con- 
fess that  the  Norse  myth  looks  Greek  and  the  Greek 
looks  Norse;  yet  there  may  be  a  good  reason  for  it. 
The  plastic  Greek  regarded  man  as  a  statue,  which 
generally  was  formed  of  clay  or  stone,  but  to  which  a 
divine  spark  of  art  gave  life.  The  Norsemen  knew  not 
the  plastic  arts,  and  therefore  had  to  go  to  nature,  and 
not  to  art,  for  their  symbols.  The  manner  in  which 
Odin  breathes  spirit  and  life  into  the  trees  reminds  us 
very  forcibly  of  the  Mosaic  narrative.     It  is  interesting 


THE    GIAN"TS.  199 

to  study  the  various  mythological  theories  in  regard  to 
the  origin  of  man.  The  inhabitants  of  Thibet  have  a 
theory  that  undoubtedly  is  of  interest  to  the  followers 
of  Darwin.  In  Thibet  the  three  gods  held  counsel  as 
to  how  Thibet  might  be  peopled.  The  first  one  showed 
in  a  speech  that  the  propagation  of  the  human  race 
could  not  be  secured  unless  one  of  them  changed  him- 
self into  an  ape.  The  last  one  of  the  three  gods  did 
this,  and  the  goddess  Kadroma  was  persuaded  to  change 
herself  into  a  female  ape.  The  plan  succeeded,  and  they 
have  left  a  numerous  offspring.* 

Various  classes  of  beings  are  mentioned  in  the  my- 
thology. Life  is  a  conflict  between  these  beings,  for  the 
spiritual  everywhere  seeks  to  penetrate  and  govern  the 
physical;  but  it  also  everywhere  meets  resistance.  The 
asas  rule  over  heaven  and  earth,  and  unite  themselves 
with  the  vans,  the  water  divinities.  The  giants  war 
with  the  asas  and  vans.  The  elves  most  properly  be- 
long to  the  asas,  while  the  dwarfs  are  more  closely 
allied  to  the  giants,  but  they  serve  the  asas.  The  most 
decided  struggle,  then,  is  between  the  asas  and  giants. 

The  spiritual  and  physical  character  of  the  giants  is 
clearly  brought  out  in  the  myths.  They  constitute  a 
race  by  themselves,  divided  into  different  groups,  but 
have  a  common  king  or  ruler.  Their  bodies  are  of 
superhuman  size,  having  several  hands  and  heads. 
Sta3rkodder  had  six  arms;  Hymer  had  many  heads,  and 
they  were  hard  as  stones;  Hruugner's  forehead  was 
harder  than  any  kettle.  The  giantesses  are  either  hor- 
ribly ugly  or  charmingly  beautiful.  As  the  offspring 
of  darkness,  the  giants  prefer  to  be  out  at  night.  The 
sunlight,  and  especially  lightning,  terrifies  them.  On 
land  and  sea  they  inhabit  large  caves,  rocks  and  mount- 

*  Wagner,  p.  192. 


200  THE    GODS   KILL   OE   MARRY   THE    GIANTS. 

ains.  Their  very  nature  is  closely  allied  to  stones  and 
mountains.  When  Brynhild  drove  in  a  chariot  on  the 
way  to  Hel,  and  passed  through  a  place  in  which  a 
giantess  dwelt,  the  giantess  said: 

Thou  sbalt  not 
Pass  througli 
My  stoue-supported 
Dwelling-place. 

The  weapons  of  the  giants,  as  the  following  myths  will 
show,  were  stones  and  rocks;  they  had  clubs  and  shields 
of  stone.  Hruugner's  weapons  were  flint-stones.  The 
giants  also  have  domesticated  animals.  The  giant 
Thrym  sat  on  a  mound  plaiting  gold  bands  for  his 
greyhounds  and  smoothing  the  manes  of  his  horses. 
He  had  gold-horned  cows  and  all-black  oxen.  They 
possess  abundance  of  wealth  and  treasures. 

The  giant  is  old,  strong  and  powerful,  very  know- 
ing and  wise,  but  also  severe,  proud  and  boasting.  The 
giantess  is  violent,  passionate  and  impertinent.  In  their 
lazy  rest  the  giants  are  good-natured;  they  may  be  as 
happy  as  children ;  but  they  must  not  be  teased. 

The  giants  representing  the  wild,  disturbing,  chaotic 
forces  in  nature,  the  beneficent  gods  can  subdue  or  con- 
trol them  in  two  ways :  The  one  is  to  kill  them  and  use 
their  remains  for  promoting  the  fruitfulness  of  the  earth, 
the  other  is  to  unite  with  them,  in  other  words,  to  marry 
them.  This  forms  the  subject  of  a  large  number  of 
myths,  which,  when  we  have  formed  a  correct  general 
conception  of  the  giants,  need  no  further  explanation. 
Odin  kills  Sokmimer,  the  destructive  maelstrom  of  the 
ocean.  Thor  crushes  Hrungner,  the  barren  mountain. 
Odin  marries  Gunlad,  Njord  marries  Skade,  Frey  marries 
Gerd,  etc. 

When  the  Odinic  mythology  was  superseded  by  the 


ELVES   AND    HULDERS.  201 

Christian  religion  it  left  a  numerous  offspring  of  elves, 
trolls  (dwarfs),  nisses,  necks,  mermaids,  princes,  prin- 
cesses, etc,  all  of  which  still  live  in  the  memory  and 
traditions  of  Scandinavia.  They  may  be  said  to  belong 
to  the  fairy  mythology  of  these  countries.  We  give  a 
brief  sketch  of  these  objects  of  popular  belief,  chiefly 
from  the  excellent  work  of  Thomas  Keightley.  A  general 
knowledge  of  them  is  necessary  in  order  to  appreciate 
the  rich  folk-lore  literature  of  Norselaud. 

The  elves  still  retain  their  distinction  into  ivliite  and  / 
black.  The  white  or  good  elves  dAvell  in  the  air,  dance 
on  the  grass,  or  sit  in  the  leaves  of  trees ;  the  black  or 
evil  elves  are  regarded  as  an  underground  people,  who 
frequently  inflict  sickness  or  injury  on  mankind,  for 
which  there  is  a  particular  kind  of  doctors  and  doc- 
tresses  in  most  parts  of  Scandinavia.  The  elves  are 
believed  to  have  their  kings,  and  to  celebrate  their 
weddings  and  banquets,  just  the  same  as  the  dwellers 
above  ground.  There  is  an  interesting  intermediate  class 
of  them  called  in  popular  tradition  hill-people  (Jiauga- 
folk),  who  are  believed  to  dwell  in  caves  and  small 
hills.  When  they  show  themselves  they  have  a  hand- 
some human  form.  The  common  people  seem  to  con- 
nect with  them  a  deep  feeling  of  melancholy,  as  if 
bewailing  a  half-quenched  hope  of  salvation.  Their 
sweet  singing  may  occasionally  be  heard  on  summer 
nights  out  of  their  hills,  when  one  stands  still  and 
listens,  or,  as  it  is  expressed  in  the  ballads,  lays  his  ear 
to  the  elf-hill;  but  no  one  must  be  so  cruel  as  by  the 
slightest  word  to  destroy  their  hopes  of  salvation,  for 
then  the  spritely  music  will  be  turned  into  weeping 
and.  lamentation.  The  Norsemen  usually  call  the  elves 
Iwlder  or  linldrefolh,  and  their  music  Imldredaat.  It 
is  in  tlie  minor  key,  and  of  a  dull  and  mournfal  sound. 


202  TROLLS. 

Norse  fiddlers  sometimes  play  it,  being  thought  to  have . 
learned  it  by  listening  to  the  underground  people  among 
the  hills  and  rocks.  There  is  also  a  tune  called  the  elf- 
kings'  tune,  which  several  of  the  good  fiddlers  know 
right  well,  but  never  venture  to  play,  for  as  soon  as  it 
begins  both  old  and  young,  and  even  inanimate  objects, 
are  compelled  to  dance,  and  the  player  cannot  stop  unless 
he  can  play  the  air  backwards,  or  that  some  one  comes 
behind  him  and  cuts  the  strings  of  his  fiddle.  Ole  Bull 
and  Thorgeir  Andunson,  the  people  think,  learned  to 
play  the  fiddle  from  the  hill-people.  The  little  under- 
ground elves,  who  are  thought  to  dwell  under  the  houses 
of  mankind,  are  described  as  sportive  and  mischievous, 
aud  as  imitating  all  the  actions  of  men.  They  are  said 
to  love  cleanliness  about  the  house  and  place,  and  to 
reward  such  servants  as  are  neac  aud  cleanly. 
^  The  dwarfs  have  become  trolls.  They  are  not  gener- 
ally regarded  as  malignant.  They  are  thought  to  live 
inside  of  hills,  mounds  and  mountains;  sometimes  in 
single  families,  sometimes  in  societies.  They  figure 
extensively  in  the  folk-lore.  They  are  thought  to  be 
extremely  rich,  for  when  on  great  occasions  of  festivity 
they  have  their  hills  raised  up  on  red  pillars,  people 
that  have  chanced  to  be  passing  by  have  seen  them 
shoving  large  chests  full  of  money  to  and  fro,  and 
opening  and  clapping  down  the  lids  of  them.  Their 
dwellings  are  very  magnificent  inside,  being  decorated 
with  gold  and  crystal.  They  are  obliging  and  neighborly, 
freely  lending  and  borrowing  and  otherwise  keeping  up 
a  friendly  intercourse  with  mankind.  But  they  have  a 
sad  propensity  to  stealing,  not  only  provisions,  but  also 
women  and  children.  Trolls  have  a  great  dislike  to 
noise,  probably  from  the  recollection  of  the  time  when 
Thor  used  to  be  flinging  his  hammer  after  them,  while 


NISSES    AISTD    NECKS.  203 

this  would  indicate  that  the  giants  are  their  true  ances- 
tors. The  hanging  of  bells  in  the  churches  has  for  this 
reason  driven  the  most  of  them  out  of  the  country. 

The  nisse  is  the  German  kobold  and  the  Scotch '' 
brownie.  He  seems  to  be  of  the  dwarf  family,  as  he 
resembles  them  in  appearance,  and  like  them  has  plenty 
of  money  and  a  dislike  to  noise  and  tumult.  He  is  of 
the  size  of  a  year-old  child,  but  has  the  face  of  an  old 
man.  His  usual  dress  is  gray,  with  a  pointed  red  cap, 
but  on  Michaelmas  day  he  wears  a  round  hat  like  those 
of  the  peasants.  No  farm-house  goes  on  well  unless 
there  is  a  nisse  in  it,  and  well  it  is  for  the  maids  and 
the  men  when  they  are  in  favor  with  him.  They  may 
go  to  their  beds  and  give  themselves  no  trouble  about 
their  work,  and  yet  in  the  morning  the  maids  will  find 
the  kitchen  swept  and  water  brought  in,  and  the  men 
will  find  the  horses  in  the  stable  well  cleaned  and  cur- 
ried, and  perhaps  a  supply  of  corn  cribbed  for  them 
from  the  neighbor's  barns.  But  he  punishes  them  for 
any  irregularity  that  takes  place. 

The  neck  is  the  river-spirit.  Sometimes  he  is  repre- 
sented as  sitting  during  the  summer  nights  on  the 
surface  of  the  water,  like  a  pretty  little  boy  with  golden 
hair  hanging  in  ringlets,  and  a  red  cap  on  his  head; 
sometimes  as  above  the  water,  like  a  handsome  young 
man,  but  beneath  like  a  horse;  at  other  times  as  an 
old  man  with  a  long  beard,  out  of  which  he  wrings  the 
water  as  he  sits  on  the  cliffs.  The  neck  is  very  severe 
against  any  haughty  maiden  who  makes  an  ill  return 
to  the  love  of  her  wooer;  but  should  he  himself  fall  in 
love  with  a  maid  of  human  kind,  he  is  the  most  polite 
and  attentive  suitor  in  the  world.  The  neck  is  also  a 
great  musician ;  he  sits  on  the  water  and  plays  on  his 
gold  harp,  the  harmony  of  which  operates  on  all  nature. 


204  MERMAN    AND    MERMAID. 

To  learn  music  of  him,  a  person  must  present  him  with 
a  bhick  lamb  and  also  promise  him  resurrection  and 
redemption. 

The.  stromkarl,  called  in  Norway  grim  or  fosse-grim 
(force-grim),  is  a  musical  genius  like  the  neck.  He 
who  has  learned  from  him  can  play  in  such  a  masterly 
manner  that  the  trees  dance  and  waterfalls  stop  at  his 
music. 

The  merman  is  described  as  of  a  handsome  form 
with  green  or  black  hair  and  beard.  He  dwells  either 
in  the  bottom  of  the  sea  or  in  cliffs  near  the  sea-shore? 
and  is  regarded  as  rather  a  good  and  beneficent  kind 
of  being. 

The  mermaid  {liaffruc)  is  represented  in  the  popular 
tradition  sometimes  as  good,  at  other  times  as  evil  and 
treacherous.  Her  appearance  is  beautiful.  Fishermen 
sometimes  see  her  in  the  bright  summers  sun,  when  a 
thin  mist  hangs  over  the  sea,  sitting  on  the  surface  of 
the  water,  and  combing  her  long  golden  hair  with  a 
golden  comb,  or  driving  up  her  snow-white  cattle  to 
feed  on  the  strands  or  small  islands.  At  other  times 
she  comes  as  a  beautiful  maiden,  chilled  and  shivering 
with  the  cold  of  the  night,  to  the  fires  the  fishermen 
have  kindled,  hoping  by  this  means  to  entice  them  to 
her  love.  Her  appearance  prognosticates  both  storm  aiul 
ill  success  in  their  fishing.  People  that  are  drowned, 
and  whose  bodies  are  not  found,  are  believed  to  be  taken 
into  the  dwellings  of  the  mermaids. 

It  is  the  prevalent  opinion  among  the  common  people 
of  the  North  that  all  these  various  beings  were  once 
worsted  in  a  conflict  with  superior  pov/ers,  and  con- 
demned to  remain  until  doomsday  in  certain  assigned 
abodes.  The  rocks  were  given  to  the  dwarfs ;  the  groves 
and  leafy  trees  to  the  elves ;  the  caves  and  caverns  to  the 


YUDKASIL.  '205 

hill-people;  the  sea,  lakes  and  rivers  to  the  merman, 
mermaids  and  necks;  and  the  small  forces  (waterfalls) 
to  the  fossegrims.  Both  the  Catholic  and  Protestant 
priests  have  tried  to  excite  an  aversion  to  these  beings, 
bnt  in  vain.  They  still  live  and  fill  the  fairy-tales  and 
folk-lore  with  their  strange  characters,  and  are  ca2)able 
of  furnishing  a  series  of  unrivaled  subjects  for  the 
painter  and  sculptor.  These  weird  stories  are  excel- 
lently adapted  to  adorn  our  epic  and  dramatic  poetry  as 
well  as  our  historic  novels.  But  they  must  be  thoroughly 
understood  first,  not  only  by  the  poet,  but  also  by  his 
reader.  Thomas  Keightley,  from  whom  we  have  given 
a  short  abstract,  has  given  us  an  excellent  work  in 
English  on  Gothic  fairy  mythology,  and  we  would 
recommend  our  readers  to  read  his  work  in  connection 
with  Dr.  Dasent's  Tales  from  the  Fjeld.  We  have  to 
present  the  original  mythology,  not  its  offspring. 

Ygdrasil  is  a  most  sublime  and  finished  myth.  It  is 
a  symbol  uniting  all  the  elements  of  mythology  into  a 
poetical  system.  The  tree  symbolizes,  and  extends  its 
roots  and  branches  into,  the  whole  universe.  Its  roots 
are  gnawed  by  serpents,  and  stags  bite  its  branches,  but 
the  immortal  tree  still  stands  firm  and  flourishes  from 
age  to  age.  The  Norsemen's  whole  experience  of  life  is 
here  presented  in  a  picture  that  either  in  regard  to  beauty 
or  depth  of  thought  finds  no  equal  in  all  the  other  sys- 
tems of  mythology.  Thomas  Carlyle  says :  I  like  too  that 
representation  they  (the  Norsemen)  have  of  the  tree 
Ygdrasil :  all  life  is  figured  by  them  as  a  tree.  Ygdrasil, 
the  Ash-tree  of  Existence,  has  its  roots  deep  down  in  the 
kingdom  of  Hela,  or  Death ;  its  trunk  reaches  up  heaven- 
high,  spreads  its  boughs  over  the  whole  universe.  It 
is  the  Tree  of  Existence.  At  the  foot  of  it,  in  the  Death- 
kingdom,  sit  three  Nomas  (fates), —  the   Past,  Present, 


206  YGDKASIL. 

Future, —  watering  its  roots  from  the  Sacred  Well.  Its 
boughs,  with  their  buddings  and  dislealiugs  —  events, 
things  suffered,  things  done,  catastrophes, —  stretch 
through  all  lands  and  times.  Is  not  every  leaf  of  it  a 
biography,  every  fiber  there  an  act  or  word  ?  Its  boughs 
are  histories  of  nations ;  the  rustle  of  it  is  the  noise  of 
human  existence,  onwards  from  of  old.  It  grows  there, 
the  breath  of  human  passion  rustling  through  it;  or 
storm-tost,  the  storm-wind  howling  through  it  like  the 
voice  of  all  the  gods.  It  .is  Ygdrasil,  the  Tree  of  Exist- 
ence. It  is  the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future;  what 
was  done,  what  is  doing,  what  will  be  done ;  the  infinite 
conjugation  of  the  verb  to  do.  Considering  how  human 
things  circulate,  each  inextricably  in  communion  with 
all, —  how  the  word  I  speak  to  you  to-day  is  borrowed, 
not  from  Ulfila,  the  M^eso-Goth  only,  but  from  all  men 
since  the  first  man  began  to  speak, —  I  find  no  similitude 
so  true  as  this  of  a  tree.  Beautiful  altogether,  beautiful 
and  great.  The  machine  of  the  universe!  Alas,  do  but 
think  of  that  in  contrast! 

The  name  Ygdrasil  is  derived  from  Odin's  name, 
Yggr  (the  deep  thinker),  and  drasill  (carrier,  horse), 
Ygdrasil,  therefore,  means  the  Bearer  of  God,  a  phrase 
which  finds  a  literal  explanation  when  Odin  hangs  nine 
nights  on  this  tree  before  he  discovered  the  runes. 
Thus  the  Elder  Edda : 

I  know  that  I  hung 

Nine  whole  nights. 

And  to  Odin  offered, 

On  that  tree, 

From  what  root  it  springs. 

On  a  wind-rocked  tree, 

With  a  spear  wounded, 

Myself  to  myself. 

Of  which  no  one  knows. 

*  Heroes  and  Hero-worship. 


YGDRASIL.  207 

All  the  tribes  of  nature  partake  of  this  universal  tree, 
from  the  eagle  who  sits  on  the  topmost  bough  down 
through  the  different  stages  of  animal  life ;  the  hawk  in 
the  lower  strata  of  air,  the  squirrel  who  busily  leaps 
about  in  the  branches,  the  stags  by  the  fountain,  to  the 
serpents  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth. 

The  peculiar  feature  of  this  myth  is  its  comprehen- 
siveness. How  beautiful  the  sight  of  a  large  tree !  Its 
far-extending  branches,  its  moss-covered  stem,  its  high 
crown  and  deep  roots,  remind  us  of  the  infinity  of  time ; 
it  has  seen  ages  roll  by  before  we  were  born.  In  the 
evening,  when  our  day's  work  is  done,  we  lie  down  in  its 
broad  shade  and  think  of  the  rest  that  awaits  us  when 
all  our  troubles  are  ended.  Its  leaves  rustle  in  the 
breezes  and  the  sunshine;  they  speak  to  us  of  that  which 
is  going  on  above  this  sorrow-stricken  earth.  But  the 
tree  is  not  the  whole  symbol.  It  is  connected  with  the 
great  waters,  with  the  clear  fountain  with  its  egg-white 
waves,  and  with  the  turbulent  streams  that  flow  in  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  While  the  calm  firmness  of  the  tree 
and  the  monotonous  rustling  of  the  wind  through  its 
leaves  invites  the  soul  to  rest,  the  ceaseless  activity  of  the 
various  tribes  of  animals  that  feed  upon  its  roots  and 
branches  remind  us  of  nature  never  at  rest  and  never 
tiring.  The  tree  sighs  and  groans  beneath  its  burden; 
the  animals  move  about  in  it  and  around  it ;  every  species 
of  animals  has  its  place  and  destination ;  the  eagle  soars 
on  his  broad  wings  over  its  top ;  the  serpent  winds  his 
slimy  coils  in  the  deep;  the  swan  swims  in  the  fountain; 
and  while  all  the  tribes  of  animated  life  are  busily 
engaged,  the  dew-drops  fall  to  refresh  and  cool  the  earth 
and  the  heart  of  man.  Nay,  this  is  not  all.  There  is 
one  who  has  planted  the  tree,  and  there  are  many  who 
watch  and  care  for  it;  higher  beings  protect  it.     Gods 


208  YGDRASIL. 

and  men,  all  that  possesses  life  and  consciousness,  has  its 
home  in  this  tree  and  its  work  to  do.  The  norns  con- 
stantly refresh  it  with  water  from  the  Urdar-fountain; 
"tlie  elves  hover  about  it;  Heimdal  susj^ends  his  tri- 
colored  arch  beneath  it;  the  glory  of  Balder  shines  upon 
it;  Mimer  lifts  his  head  in  the  distance,  and  the  pale 
Hel  watches  the  shades  of  men  who  have  departed  this 
earth  and  journey  through  the  nine  worlds  over  Gjallarbro 
to  their  final  rewards.  The  picture  is  so  grand  that 
nothing  but  an  infinite  soul  can  comprehend  it ;  no  brush 
can  paint  it,  no  colors  can  represent  it.  Nothing  is  quiet, 
nothing  at  rest ;  all  is  activity.  It  is  the  whole  world, 
and  it  can  be  comprehended  only  by  the  mind  of  man, 
by  the  soul  of  the  poet,  and  be  symbolized  by  the  cease- 
less flow  of  language.  It  is  not  a  theme  for  the  painter 
or  sculptor,  but  for  the  poet.  Ygdrasil  is  the  tree  of 
experience  of  the  Gothic  race.  It  is  the  symbol  of  a 
great  race,  sprung  originally  from  the  same  root  but 
divided  into  many  branches,  Norsemen,  Englishmen, 
Americans,  etc.  It  has  three  roots,  and  experience  has 
taught  the  Goths  that  there  are  in  reality  but  three  kinds 
of  people  in  the  world :  some  that  work  energetically  for 
noble  and  eternal  purposes,  and  their  root  is  in  Asaheira ; 
some  that  work  equally  energetically,  but  for  evil  and 
temporal  ends,  and  their  root  is  in  Jotunheim  ;  and  many 
who  distinguished  themselves  only  by  sloth  and  impo- 
tence, and  their  root  is  in  Niflheim  with  the  goddess  Hel 
or  death,  in  Hvergelmer,  where  the  serpent  Nidhug,  with 
all  his  reptile  brood,  gnaws  at  their  lives.  Thus  the 
Gothic  race  is  reflected  in  Ygdrasil,  and  if  our  poets  will 
study  it  they  will  find  that  this  grand  myth  is  itself  in 
fact  a  root  in  the  Urdar-fountain,  and  from  it  may  spring 
an  Ygdrasil  of  poetry,  extending  long  branches  through- 


MIMEll'S    FOUNTAIN".  209 

out  the  poetical  world  and  delighting  the  nations  of  the 
earth. 

Beneath  that  root  of  Ygdrasil,  which  shoots  down 
to  Jotunheim,  there  is  a  fountain  called  after  its  watcher 
Mwier's  Fountain,  in  which  wisdom  and  knowledge  are 
concealed.  The  name  Mimer  means  the  Icnoioing.  The 
giants,  being  older  than  the  asas,  looked  deeper  than 
the  latter  into  the  darkness  of  the  past.  They  had 
witnessed  the  birth  of  the  gods  and  the  beginning  of 
the  world,  and  they  foresaw  their  downfall.  Concerning 
both  these  events,  the  gods  had  to  go  to  them  for  knowl- 
edge, an  idea  which  is  most  forcibly  expressed  in  the 
Voluspa,  the  first  song  in  the  Elder  Edda,  where  a  vala, 
or  prophetess,  from  Jotunheim  is  represented  as  rising 
up  from  the  deep  and  unveiling  the  past  and  future  to 
gods  and  men.  It  is  this  wisdom  that  Mimer  keeps  in 
his  fountain.  Odin  himself  must  have  it.  In  the  night, 
when  the  sun  has  set  behind  the  borders  of  the  earth, 
he  goes  to  Jotunheim.  Odin  penetrates  the  mysteries 
of  the  deep,  but  he  must  leave  his  eye  in  pawn  for  the 
drink  which  he  receives  from  the  fountain  of  knowledge. 
But  in  the  glory  of  morning  dawn,  when  the  sun  rises 
again  from  Jotunheim,  Mimer  drinks  from  his  golden 
horn  the  clear  mead  which  flows  over  Odin's  pawn. 
Heaven  and  this  lower  world  mutually  impart  their 
wisdom  to  each  other. 

The  norns  watch  over  man  through  life.  They 
spin  his  thread  of  fate  at  his  birth  and  mark  out  with 
it  the  limits  of  his  sphere  of  action  in  life.  Their  de- 
crees are  inviolable  destiny,  tlieir  dispensations  inevi- 
table necessity.  The  gods  themselves  must  bow  before 
the  laws  of  the  norns ;  they  are  limited  by  time ;  they 
are  born  and  must  die.  Urd  and  Verdande,  the  Past 
and  Present,  are  represented  as  stretching  a  web  from 
18 


210  THE   NORNS. 

east  to  west,  from  the  radiant  dawn  of  life  to  the  glow- 
ing sunset,  and  Skuld,  the  Future,  tears  it  to  pieces. 
There  is  a  deeply-laid  plan  in  the  universe,  a  close 
union  between  spirit  and  matter.  There  is  no  such 
thing  as  independent  life  or  action.  The  ends  of  the 
threads  wherewith  our  life  is  woven  lie  deeply  hid  in 
the  abyss  of  the  beginning.  Self-consciousness  is  merely 
an  abstraction.  The  self-conscious  individual  is  merely 
a  leaf,  which  imagines  itself  to  be  something,  but  is  in 
fact  only  a  bud  that  unfolds  itself  and  falls  off  from 
the  tree  of  the  universe.  The  self-contradiction  between 
absolute  necessity  and  free  will  was  an  unsolved  riddle 
with  our  heathen  ancestors,  and  puzzles  the  minds  of 
many  of  our  most  profound  thinkers  still.  Thus,  says 
the  Elder  Edda,  the  norns  came  to  decide  the  destiny 
of  Helge  Hundingsbane : 

It  was  in  times  of  yore, 
When  the  eagles  screamed, 
Holy  waters  fell 
From  the  heavenly  hills ; 
Then  to  Helge, 
The  great  of  soul, 
Berghild  gave  birth 
In  Braalund. 

In  the  mansion  it  was  night*. 

The  norns  came, 

Who  should  the  prince's 

Life  determine ; 

They  him  decreed 

A  prince  most  famed  to  be, 

And  of  leaders 

Accounted  best. 

With  all  their  might  they  span 

The  fatal  threads. 

When  that  he  burghs  should  overthrow 

In  Braalund. 


THE   NORNS.  211 

They  stretched  out 

The  golden  cord, 

And  beneath  the  middle 

Of  the  moon's  mansion  fixed  it. 

East  and  west 

They  hid  the  ends. 

Where  the  prince  had 

Lands  between  ; 

Toward  the  north 

Nere's  sister 

Cast  a  chain. 

Which  she  bade  last  forever. 

Nay,  in  the  Norseman's  faith,  man  and  all  things 
about  him  were  sustained  by  divine  power.  The  norns 
decreed  by  rigid  fate  each  man's  career,  which  not  even 
the  gods  could  alter.  Man  was  free  to  act,  but  all  the 
consequences  of  his  actions  were  settled  beforehand. 


PART   11. 

THE  LIFE  AND  EXPLOITS  OF  THE  GODS. 

VERDANDE. 

Vafinn  er  Vert5andi  reyk. 


CHAPTER  I. 


ODIN. 

SECTIOIsr    I.      ODIN". 

THE  first  and  eldest  of  the  asas  is  Odin.  His  name 
is  derived  from  the  verb  vada  (imperfect  6d),  to 
walk,  (compare  watan,  wuot,  wuth,  wuthen,  wuothan, 
wodan).  He  is  the  all-jjervading  spirit  of  the  world, 
and  produces  life  and  spirit  {d7id,  aand).  He  does  not 
create  the  world,  but  arranges  and  governs  it.  With 
Vile  and  Ve  he  makes  heaven  and  earth  from  Ymer's 
body;  with  Hcener  and  Loder  he  makes  the  first  man 
and  woman,  and  he  gives  them  spirit.  All  enterprise  in 
peace  and  in  war  proceeds  from  him.  He  is  the  author 
of  war  and  the  inventor  of  poetry.  All  knowledge 
comes  from  him  and  he  is  the  inventor  of  the  runes. 
As  the  spirit  of  life  he  permeates  all  animate  and  inan- 
imate matter,  the  whole  universe;  he  is  the  infinite 
wanderer.  He  governs  all  things,  and  although  the 
other  deities  are  powerful  they  all  serve  and  obey  him 
as  children  do  their  father.  He  confers  many  favors 
on  gods  and  men.  As  it  is  said  in  the  Elder  Edda,  in 
the  lay  of  Hyndla: 

FREYJA. 

Wake  maid  of  maids  ! 
Wake,  my  friend ! 
Hyndla !     Sister, 
Who  in  tlie  cavern  dwelleat. 

(215) 


216  odin's  names. 

Now  there  is  dark  of  darks  ; 
We  will  both  to  Valhal  ride 
And  to  the  holy  fane. 

Let  us  Odin  pray 
Into  our  minds  to  enter; 
He  gives  and  grants 
Gold  to  the  deserving. 
He  gave  Hermod 
A  helm  and  corselet, 
And  from  him  Sigmund 
A  sword  received. 

Victory  to  his  sons  he  gives, 

But  to  some  riches ; 

Eloquence  to  the  great 

And  to  men  wit; 

Fair  wind  he  gives  to  traders, 

But  visions  to  skalds ; 

Valor  he  gives 

To  many  a  warrior. 

Especially  are  the  heroes  constantly  the  object  of 
his  care.  He  guides  and  protects  the  brave  hero  through 
his  whole  life ;  he  watches  over  his  birth  and  over  his 
whole  development;  gives  him  wonderful  weapons, 
teaches  him  new  arts  of  war;  assists  him  in  critical 
emergencies,  accompanies  him  in  war,  and  takes  the 
impetus  out  of  the  enemy's  javelins;  and  when  the 
warrior  has  at  last  grown  old,  he  provides  that  he  may 
not  die  upon  his  bed,  but  fall  in  honorable  combat. 
Finally,  he  protects  the  social  organization  and  influ- 
ences the  human  mind.  He  revenges  murder,  protects 
the  sanctity  of  the  oath,  subdues  hatred,  and  dispels 
anxieties  and  sorrows. 

SECTION"   II.      ODIN'S   NAMES, 

/     Odin  is  called  Allfather,  because  he  is  the  father  of 
all  the  gods,  and  Valfather  (father  of  the  slain),  because 


odin's  outward  appearakce.  217 

lie  chooses  for  his  sons  all  who  fall  in  combat.  For 
their  abode  he  has  prepared  Valhal  and  Vingolf,  where 
they  are  called  einherjes  (heroes).  In  Asgard,  Odin 
has  twelve  names,  but  in  the  Younger  Edda  forty-nine 
names  are  enumerated,  and  if  to  these  are  added  all  the 
names  by  which  the  poets  have  called  him,  the  number 
will  reach  nearly  two  hundred.  The  reason  for  his 
many  names,  says  the  Younger  Edda,  is  the  great  vari- 
ety of  languages.  For  the  various  nations  were  obliged 
to  translate  his  name  into  their  respective  tongues  in 
order  that  they  might  supplicate  and  worship  him. 
Some  of  his  names,  however,  are  owing  to  adventures 
that  have  happened  to  him  on  his  journeys  and  which 
are  related  in  old  stories.  No  one  can  pass  for  a  wise 
man  who  is  not  able  to  give  an  account  of  these  won- 
derful adventures. 

SECTION    III.      ODIN'S    outward    APPEARANCE. 

In  appearance,  Odin  is  an  old,  tall,  one-eyed  man, 
with  a  long  beard,  a  broad-brimmed  hat,  a  striped  cloak 
of  many  colors,  and  a  spear  in  his  hand.  On  his  arm 
he  wears  the  gold  ring  Draupner,  two  ravens  sit  on  his 
shoulders,  two  wolves  lie  at  his  feet,  and  a  huge  chariot 
rolls  above  his  head.  He  sits  upon  a  high  throne  and 
looks  out  upon  tlie  Avorld,  or  he  rides  on  the  winds 
upon  his  horse  Sleipner.  There  is  a  deep  speculative 
expression  on  his  countenance.  In  the  Volsung  Saga, 
Odin  is  revealed  as  follows :  King  Volsung  had  made 
preparations  for  an  entertainment.  Blazing  fires  burned 
along  the  hall,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  hall  stood  a 
large  tree,  whose  green  and  fair  foliage  covered  the  roof. 
(This  reminds  us  of  Ygdrasil.)  King  Volsung  had 
placed  it  there,  and  it  was  called  Odin's  tree.  Now  as 
the  guests  sat  around  the  fire  in  the  evening,  a  man 
19 


318  odin's  outward  appearance. 

entered  the  hall  whose  countenance  they  did  not  know. 
He  wore  a  variegated  cloak,  was  bare-footed,  his  breeches 
were  of  linen,  and  a  wide-brimmed  hat  hung  down 
over  his  face.  He  was  very  tall,  looked  old,  and  was 
one-eyed.  He  had  a  sword  in  his  hand.  The  man 
went  to  the  tree,  struck  his  sword  into  it  with  so  power- 
ful a  blow  that  it  sunk  into  it  even  to  the  hilt.  No 
one  dared  greet  this  man.  Then  said  he:  He  who 
draws  this  sword  out  of  the  trunk  of  the  tree  shall 
have  it  as  a  gift  from  me,  and  shall  find  it  true  that 
he  never  wielded  a  better  sword.  Then  went  the  old 
man  out  of  the  hall  again,  and  no  one  knew  who  he 
was  or  whither  he  went.  Now  all  tried  to  draw  the 
sword  out,  but  it  would  not  move,  before  Volsung's  son, 
Sigmund,  came;  for  him  it  seemed  to  be  quite  loose. 
Farther  on  in  the  Saga  Sigmund  had  become  king, 
and  had  already  grown  old  when  he  waged  war  with 
King  Lynge.  The  norns  protected  him  so  that  he  could 
not  be  wounded.  In  a  battle  with  Lynge  there  came  a 
man  to  Sigmund,  wearing  a  large  hat  and  blue  cloak. 
He  had  but  one  eye,  and  had  a  spear  in  his  hand. 
The  man  swung  his  spear  against  Sigmund.  Sigmund's 
sword  broke  in  two,  luck  had  left  him,  and  he  fell.  The 
same  Saga  afterwards  tells  us  that  Sigmund's  son,  Sig- 
urd, sailed  against  the  sons  of  Hundiug,  on  a  large 
dragon.  A  storm  arose,  but  Sigurd  commanded  that 
the  sails  should  not  be  taken  down,  even  though  the 
wind  should  split  them,  but  rather  be  hoisted  higher. 
As  they  passed  a  rocky  point,  a  man  cried  to  the  ship 
and  asked  who  was  the  commander  of  the  ships  and 
men.  They  answered  that  it  was  Sigurd  Sigmundson, 
the  bravest  of  all  young  men.  The  man  said,  all  agree 
in  praising  him ;  take  in  the  sails  and  take  me  on 
board!     They  asked  him  for  his  name.     He  answered: 


odin's  attributes.  219 

Hnikar  they  called  me,  when  I  gladdened  the  raven 
after  the  battle;  call  me  now  Karl,  from  the  mountain, 
Fengr  or  Fjolner,  but  take  me  on  board!  They  laid 
to  and  took  him  on  board.  The  storm  ceased  and  they 
sailed  until  they  came  to  the  sons  of  Hunding;  then 
Fjolner  (Odin)  disappeared.  In  the  same  Saga  he  also 
comes  to  Sigurd  in  the  garb  of  an  old  man  with  long 
flowing  beard,  and  teaches  him  how  to  dig  ditches  by 
which  to  capture  Fafner. 

SECTION    IV.       ODIN'S   ATTEIBUTES. 

Odin's  hat  represents  the  arched  vault  of  heaven, 
and  his  blue  or  variegated  cloak  is  the  blue  sky  or 
atmosphere,  and  both  these  symbolize  protection. 

Odin's  ravens,  Hugin  (reflection)  and  Munin  (mem- 
ory), have  been  mentioned  before.  They  are  perched 
upon  his  shoulders  and  whisper  into  his  ears  what  they 
see  and  hear.  He  sends  them  out  at  daybreak  to  fly 
over  the  world,  and  they  come  back  at  eve  toward  meal- 
time. Hence  it  is  that  Odin  knows  so  much  and  is 
called  Eafnagud  (raven-god).  Most  beautifully  does  Odin 
expi-ess  himself  about  these  ravens  in  Grimner's  lay, 
in  the  Elder  Edda: 

Hugin  and  Munin 

Fly  each  day 

Over  the  spacious  earth. 

I  fear  for  Hugin 

That  he  come  not  back. 

Yet  more  anxious  am  I  for  Munin. 

And  in  Odin's  Eaven-song,  Hug  (Hugin)  goes  forth  to 
explore  the  heavens.  Odin's  mind,  then,  is  the  flying 
raven ;  he  is  the  spiritual  ruler. 

Odin  has  two  wolves,  Gere  and  Freke  (the  greedy 
one  and  the  voracious  one).     Odin  gives  the  meat  that 


220  ODIX'S    ATTRIBUTES. 

is  set  on  bis  table  to  tbese  two  wolves;  for  he  bimself 
stands  in  no  need  of  food.  Wine  is  for  bim  both  meat 
and  drink.     Tbus  the  Elder  Edda,  ia  Grimner's  lay: 

Gere  and  Freke 
Feeds  the  war-faring. 
Triumphant  father  of  hosts ; 
For  't  is  with  wine  only 
That  Odin  in  arms  renowned 
Is  nourished  forever. 

To  meet  a  wolf  is  a  good  omen.  Odin  amusing  bim-. 
self  witli  bis  wolves  is  an  exquisite  tbeme  for  tbe  sculptor. 

Odin  bad  a  ring  called  Draupner.  We  find  its  bis- 
tory  in  the  conversations  of  Brage,  tbe  second  part  of 
the  Younger  Edda.  Loke  bad  once  out  of  malice  cut 
all  tbe  hair  ofi"  Sif,  tbe  wife  of  Thor.  But  when  Thor 
found  this  out  be  seized  Loke  and  would  have  crushed 
every  bone  in  him  if  he  bad  not  sworn  to  get  tbe  elves 
of  darkness  to  make  golden  hair  for  Sif,  that  would  grow 
like  other  hair.  Tben  went  Loke  to  the  dwarfs,  that  are 
called  Ivald's  sons,  and  they  made  tbe  hair,  and  Skid- 
bladner  (Frey's  ship),  and  tbe  spear  that  Odin  owned  and 
is  called  Gungner.  Tben  Loke  wagered  bis  head  with 
the  dwarf,  whose  name  is  Brok,  that  bis  brother,  Sindre, 
would  not  be  able  to  make  three  more  treasures  as  good 
as  those  three  just  named.  Tbe  brothers  went  to  the 
smithy.  Sindre  put  a  pig-skin  in  tbe  furnace  and  bade 
Brok  blow  the  bellows  and  not  stop  before  Sindre  took 
that  out  of  tbe  furnace  which  be  had  put  into  it.  A  fly 
set  itself  on  Brok's  band  and  stung  him,  but  still  he 
continued  blowing  the  bellows,  and  that  whicb  Sindre 
took  out  was  a  boar  with  golden  bristles.  Tben  Sindre 
put  gold  into  the  furnace.  This  time  tbe  fly  set  itself 
on  Brok's  neck,  and  stung  him  worse,  but  be  continued 
blowing  the  bellows,  and  that  which  tbe  smith  took  out 


ODIiSr'S    ATTRIBUTES.  221 

was  the  gold  ring  Draupner  (from  the  verb  meaning  to 
drojji).  The  third  time  Sindre  put  iron  in  the  furnace, 
and  bade  his  brotlier  be  sure  to  continue  blowing  or 
all  would  be  spoiled.  Now  the  fly  set  itself  between 
his  eyes  and  stung  his  eye-lids.  The  blood  ran  down 
into  his  eyes,  so  that  he  could  not  see;  then  Brok  let 
go  of  the  bellows  just  for  a  moment  to  drive  the  fly 
away.  That  which  the  smith  now  took  out  was  a  ham- 
mer. Sindre  gave  his  brother  these  treasures  and  bade 
him  go  to  Asgard  to  fetch  the  wager.  As  now  Loke 
and  Brok  came  each  with  his  treasures,  the  asas  seated 
themselves  upon  their  thrones  and  held  consult,  and 
Odin,  Thor  and  Frey  were  appointed  judges  who  should 
render  a  final  decision.  Then  Loke  gave  Odin  the 
spear,  which  never  would  miss  its  mark ;  Thor  he  gave 
the  hair,  which  immediately  grew  fast  upon  Sif's  head  ; 
and  to  Frey  he  gave  the  ship,  which  always  got  fair 
wind  as  soon  as  the  sails  were  hoisted,  no  matter  where 
its  captain  was  going,  and  it  could  also  be  folded  as  a 
napkin  and  put  into  the  pocket,  if  this  were  desirable. 
Thereupon  Brok  came  forward  and  gave  Odin  the  ring, 
and  said  that  every  ninth  night  a  ring  equally  heavy 
would  drop  from  it.  To  Frey  he  gave  the  boar,  and  said 
that  it  could  run  in  the  air  and  on  the  sea,  night  and 
day,  faster  than  any  horse,  and  the  night  never  was  so 
dark,  nor  the  other  worlds  so  gloomy,  but  that  it  would 
be  light  where  this  boar  was  present,  so  bright  slione 
its  bristles.  To  Thor  he  gave  the  hammer,  and  said 
that  with  it  he  might  strike  as  large  an  object  as  he 
pleased;  it  would  never  fail,  and  when  he  tlirew  it  he 
should  not  be  afraid  of  losing  it,  for  no  matter  how 
far  it  flew  it  would  always  return  into  his  hand,  and 
at  his  wish  it  would  become  so  small  that  he  might 
conceal  it  in  his  bosom,  but  it  had  one  fault,  and  that 


222  ODiJsr's  attkibutes. 

was  that  the  handle  was  rather  short.  According  to  the 
decision  of  the  gods,  the  hammer  was  the  best  of  all 
the  treasures,  and  especially  as  a  protection  against  the 
frost-giants ;  they  accordingly  decided  that  the  dwarf 
had  won  the  wager.  The  latter  now  wanted  Loke's  head. 
Loke  offered  to  redeem  it  in  some  way,  but  the  dwarf 
would  accept  no  alternatives.  Well  take  me  then,  said 
Loke,  and  in  a  moment  he  was  far  away,  for  he  had 
shoes  with  which  he  could  run  through  the  air  and  ovei: 
the  sea.  Then  the  dwarf  asked  Thor  to  seize  him, 
which  was  done ;  but  when  the  dwarf  wanted  to  cut  his 
head  off,  Loke  said :  The  head  is  yours,  but  not  the  neck.* 
Then  took  the  dwarf  thread  and  knife  and  wanted  to 
pierce  Loke's  lips,  so  as  to  sew  his  lips  together,  but  the 
knife  was  not  sharp  enough.  Now  it  were  well,  if  I 
had  my  brother's  awl,  said  he,  and  instantaneously  the 
awl  was  there,  and  it  was  sharp.  Then  the  dwarf 
sewed  Loke's  lips  together.  (The  dwarfs  are  here  rep- 
resented as  smiths  of  the  gods.) 

The  ring  Draupner  is  a  symbol  of  fertility.  Odin 
placed  this  ring  on  Balder's  funeral  pile  and  it  was 
burnt  with  Balder  (the  summer),  and  when  Balder  sent 
this  ring  back  to  Odin,  his  wife,  the  flower-goddess 
Nanna,  sent  Frigg,  the  wife  of  Odin,  a  carpet  (of 
grass),  which  represents  the  return  of  vegetation  and 
fruitfulness.  Balder  sends  the  ring  back  as  a  memento 
of  the  fair  time  when  he  and  his  father  (Odin)  worked 
together,  and  reminds  the  father  of  all,  that  he  must 
continue  to  bless  the  earth  and  make  it  fruitful.  But 
this  is  not  all ;  this  ring  also  symbolizes  the  fertility  of 
the  mind,  the  creative  power  of  the  poet,  the  evolution 

♦Compare  Shakespeare — Shj'lock  and  the  pound  of  flesh: 

.     .    .    No  jot  of  blood; 

The  words  expressly  are  "a  pound  of  flesh." 


odin's  attributes.  223 

of  one  thought  from  the  other,  the  wonderful  chain  of 
thought.  The  rings  fell  from  Draupner  as  drop  falls 
from  drop.  Ideas  do  not  cling  fast  to  their  parent,  but 
live  an  independent  life  when  they  are  born;  and  the 
idea  or  thought,  when  once  awakened,  does  not  slumber, 
but  continues  to  grow  and  develop  in  man  after  man,  in 
generation  after  generation,  evolving  constantly  new 
ideas  until  it  has  grown  into  a  unique  system  of 
thought.  If  we,  as  our  fathers  undoubtedly  did,  make 
this  gold  ring  typify  the  historical  connection  between 
times  and  events,  a  ring  constantly  multiplying  and 
increasing  with  ring  interlinked  with  ring  in  time's 
onward  march,  what  a  beautiful  golden  chain  there  has 
been  formed  from  time's  morning  until  now ! 

Odin  had  a  spear  called  Gangner.  The  word  means 
producing  a  violent  shaking  or  trembling,  and  it  most 
thoroughly  shook  whomsoever  was  hit  by  it.  As  has 
been  seen  above,  it  was  made  by  the  sons  of  Ivald  (the 
dwarfs),  and  was  presented  to  Odin  by  Loke.  Odin 
speeds  forth  to  the  field  of  battle  with  golden  helmet, 
resplendent  armor,  and  his  spear  Gungner.  Oath  was 
taken  on  the  point  of  Gungner.  This  spear  is  frequently 
referred  to  in  the  semi-mythological  Sagas,  where  spears 
are  seen  flying  over  the  heads  of  the  enemy;  they  are 
panic-stricken  and  defeated.  Spears  are  sometimes  seen 
as  meteorical  phenomena,  showing  that  war  is  impend- 
ing. The  spear  symbolizes  Odin's  strength  and  power) 
When  Odin's  spear  was  thrown  over  anybody,  Odin 
thereby  marked  him  as  his  own.  Did  not  Odin  wound 
himself  with  a  spear,  and  thereby  consecrate  himself  to 
heaven  ?  (See  pp.  254-261.)  When  Odin  puts  the  spear 
into  the  hands  of  the  warrior,  it  means  that  he  awakens 
and  directs  his  deeds  of  valor.  When  Odin  is  the  god 
of  poetry  and  eloquence   (Anglo-Saxon   wod),   then   the 


224  odin's  attkibutes. 

spear  Gungner  is  the  keen,  stinging  satire  that  can  be 
expressed  in  poetry  and  oratory. 

Odin's  horse  Sleipner  (slippery)  was  the  most  excel- 
lent horse.  Runes  were  carved  on  his  teeth.  The  fol- 
lowing myth  gives  us  an  account  of  his  birth:  Wlien 
the  gods  were  constructing  their  abodes,  and  had  already 
finished  Midgard  and  Valhal,  a  certain  artificer  came 
and  offered  to  build  them,  in  the  space  of  three  half 
years,  a  residence  so  well  fortified  that  they  should  be 
perfectly  safe  from  the  incursions  of  the  frost-giants  and 
the  giants  of  the  mountains,  even  though  they  should 
have  penetrated  within  Midgard.  But  he  demanded  for 
his  reward  the  goddess  Frej^ja,  together  with  the  sun  and 
moon.  After  long  deliberation  the  gods  agreed  to  his 
terms,  provided  he  would  finish  the  whole  work  him- 
self without  any  one's  assistance,  and  all  within  the 
space  of  one  winter;  but  if  anything  remained  unfin- 
ished on  the  first  day  of  summer,  he  should  forfeit  the 
recompense  agreed  on.  On  being  told  these  terms,  the 
artificer  stipulated  that  he  should  be  allowed  the  use 
of  his  horse,  called  Svadilfare  (slippery-farer),  and  this 
by  the  advice  of  Loke  was  granted  to  him.  He  accord- 
ingly set  to  work  on  the  first  day  of  winter,  and  during 
the  night  let  his  horse  draw  stone  for  the  building. 
The  enormous  size  of  the  stones  struck  the  gods  with 
astonishment,  and  they  saw  clearly  that  the  horse  did 
one  half  more  of  the  toilsome  work  than  his  master. 
Their  bargain,  however,  had  been  concluded  in  the  pres- 
ence of  witnesses  and  confirmed  by  solemn  oaths,  for 
without  these  precautions  a  giant  would  not  have 
thought  himself  safe  among  the  gods,  especially  when 
Thor  returned  from  an  expedition  he  had  then  under- 
taken toward  the  east  against  evil  demons. 

As  the  winter  drew  to  a  close,  the  building  was  far 


ODIN's   ATTKIBUTES.  225 

advanced,  and  the  bulwarks  were  sufficiently  high  and 
massive  to  render  this  residence  impregnable.  In  short, 
when  it  wanted  but  three  days  to  summer,  the  only 
part  that  remained  to  be  finished  was  the  gateway. 
Tlien  sat  the  gods  on  their  seats  of  justice  and  entered 
into  consultation,  inquiring  of  one  another  who  among 
them  could  liave  advised  to  give  Freyja  away  to  Jotun- 
heim  or  to  plunge  the  heavens  in  darkness  by  permit- 
ting the  giant  to  carry  away  the  sun  and  the  moon. 
They  all  agreed  that  none  but  Loke  Laufeyarson  and 
the  author  of  so  many  evil  deeds  could  have  given 
such  bad  counsel,  and  that  he  should  be  put  to  a  cruel 
death  if  he  did  not  contrive  some  way  or  other  to  pre- 
vent the  artificer  from  completing  his  task  and  obtaining 
the  stipulated  recompense.  They  immediately  proceeded 
to  lay  hands  on  Loke,  who  in  his  fright  promised  upon 
oath,  that  let  it  cost  him  what  it  would  he  would  so 
manage  matters  that  the  man  should  lose  his  reward. 
That  very  night,  when  the  artificer  went  with  Svadil- 
fare  for  building-stone,  a  mare  suddenly  ran  out  of  a 
forest  and  began  to  neigh.  The  horse  being  thus 
excited,  broke  loose  and  ran  after  the  mare  into  the 
forest,  which  obliged  the  man  also  to  run  after  his 
horse,  and  thus  between  one  and  the  other  the  whole 
night  was  lost,  so  that  at  dawn  the  work  had  not  made 
the  usual  progress.  The  man,  seeing  that  he  had  no 
other  means  of  completing  his  task,  resumed  his  own 
gigantic  stature,  and  the  gods  now  clearly  perceived 
that  it  was  in  reality  a  mountain  giant  who  had  come 
amongst  them.  No  longer  regarding  their  oaths,  they 
therefore  called  on  Thor,  who  immediately  ran  to  their 
assistance,  and  lifting  up  his  mallet  Mjolner  (the  crusher) 
that  the  dwarfs  had  made,  he  paid  the  workman  his 
wages,  not  with  the  sun  and  moon,  and  not  even   by 


236  ODIN'S   ATTKIBUTES. 

sending  him  back  to  Jotunheim,  for  with  the  first  blow 
he  shattered  the  giant's  skull  to  pieces,  and  hurled  him 
headlong  into  Nitlheim.  But  Loke  had  run  such  a  race 
with  Svadilfare,  that  shortly  after  the  mischief-maker 
(Loke)  bore  a  gray  foal  with  eight  legs.  This  is  the 
horse  Sleipner,  which  excels  all  horses  ever  possessed  by 
gods  or  men.  The  gods  perjured  themselves,  and  in 
reference  to  this  says  the  Elder  Edda: 

Then  went  tlie  rulers  there, 
All  gods  most  holy. 
To  their  seats  aloft, 
And  counsel  together  took ; 
Who  all  the  winsome  air 
With  guile  had  blended. 
Or  to  the  giant's  race 
Oder's  maiden  given.* 

Then  Thor,  who  was  there, 
Arose  in  wrathful  mood, 
For  seldom  sits  he  still 
When  such  things  he  hears. 
Annulled  were  now  all  oaths, 
And  words  of  promise  fair. 
And  faith  not  long  before 
In  council  plighted. 

This  riddle  is  propounded.  Who  are  the  two  who 
ride  to  the  Thing  ?  Three  eyes  have  they  together,  ten 
feet  and  one  tail;  and  thus  they  travel  through  the 
lands.  The  answer  is  Odin,  who  rides  on  Sleipner;  he 
has  one  eye,  the  horse  two;  the  horse  runs  on  eight 
feet,  Odin  has  tAvo ;    only  the  horse  has  a  tail. 

Odin's  horse,  Sleipner,  symbolizes  the  winds  of 
heaven,  that  blow  from  eight  quarters.  In  Skaane  and 
Bleking,  in  Sweden,  it  was  customary  to  leave  a  sheaf 
of  grain  in  the  field  for  Odin's  horse,  to  keep  him  from 

♦Freyja,  whom  the  gods  had  promised  the  giant,  was  Oder's  wife. 


Oi)IN'S  JOURNEYS.  227 

treading  down  the  grain.  Wednesday  is  named  after 
Odin  (Odinsday),  and  on  this  day  his  horse  was  most 
apt  to  visit  the  fields.  But  in  a  higher  sense  Sleipner 
is  a  Pegasos.  Pegasos  flew  from  the  eartli  to  the  abodes 
of  the  gods;  Sleipner  comes  from  heaven,  carries  the 
hero  unharmed  through  the  dangers  of  life,  and  lifts 
the  poet,  who  believes  in  the  spirit,  up  to  his  heavenly 
home.  Grundtvig  calls  Sleipner  the  courser  of  the  poet's 
soul ;  that  is  to  say,  of  the  Icelandic  or  Old  Norse 
strophe  in  poetry,  which  consisted  of  eight  verses,  or  four 
octometers.  The  most  poetic  is  the  most  truthful 
interpretation  of  the  myths. 

SECTION   V.      ODIN'S    JOUENEYS. 

A  whole  chapter  might  be  written  about  the  wander- 
ings of  Odin,  his  visits  to  the  giants,  to  men,  to  battles, 
etc. ;  but  as  these  records  are  very  voluminous,  and  are 
found  to  a  great  extent  in  the  semi-mythological  Sagas, 
in  which  it  is  difficult  to  separate  the  mythical  and  his- 
torical elements,  we  will  make  but  a  few  remarks  on  this 
subject.  All  his  wanderings  of  course  describe  him  as 
the  all-pervading  spirit  of  the  universe.  They  have  the 
same  significance  as  his  horse  Sleipner,  his  ravens  Hugin 
and  Munin,  etc.  He  descends  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
for  wisdom,  he  descends  to  earth  to  try  the  minds  of 
men.  In  the  Elder  Edda  journeys  of  Odin  form  the 
subjects  of  the  lays  of  Vafthrudner,  Grimner,  Vegtam, 
etc.  (See  pp.  120-124.)  In  the  lay  of  Vafthrudner  Odin 
visits  the  giant  Vafthrudner  for  the  purpose  of  proving 
his  knowledge.  They  propose  questions  relating  to  the 
cosmogony  of  the  Norse  mythology,  on  the  condition 
that  the  baffled  party  forfeit  his  head.  The  giant  incurs 
the  penalty.  Odin  calls  himself  Gangraad,  but  by  the  last 
question  the  giant  recognizes  him  and  is  stricken  with 


228  odin's  journeys. 

awe  and  fear.  The  giant  must  perish  since  he  has  ven- 
tured into  combat  with  Odin.  The  mind  subdues  phys- 
ical nature.  When  the  giant  recognizes  Odin  he  real- 
izes his  own  depressed  nature  and  must  die.  No  rogue 
can  look  an  honest  man  in  the  eye.  In  Grimnersmal 
Odin  assumes  the  name  of  G-rimner,  and  goes  to  try  the 
mind  of  his  foster-son  Geirrod.  Geirrod  tortures  him  and 
places  him  between  two  fires.  And  here  begins  the  lay, 
in  which  Odin  glorifies  himself  and  the  power  of  the 
gods  and  pities  his  fallen  foster-son,  but  finally  discloses 
himself  and  declares  death  to  Geirrod  for  his  want  of 
hospitality.  Thus  Odin  closes  his  address  to  Geirrod  iu 
the  lay  of  Grimner : 

Many  things  I  told  thee. 

But  tliou  liast  few  remembered : 

Thy  friends  mislead  thee. 

My  friend's  sword 

Lying  I  see 

With  blood  all  dripping. 

The  fallen  by  the  sword 
Ygg  shall  now  have  ; 
Thy  life  is  now  run  out : 
Wrath  with  thee  are  the  dises, 
Odin  thou  now  shalt  see : 
Draw  near  to  me,  if  thou  canst. 

Odin  I  am  named, 

Ygg  I  was  called  before. 

Before  that  Thund, 

Vaker  and  Skilfing, 

Vafud  and  Hroptatyr ; 

With  the  gods  Gaut  and  Jalk,* 

Ofner  and  Svafner ; 

All  which  I  believe  to  be 

Names  of  me  alone. 

*  Jack  the  Giant-killer. 


ODIN    AND    MIMER.  229 


SECTION    VI.     ODIN    AND    MIMER. 

In  the  lay  of  Vegtam,  Odiu  goes  to  Hel,  and  wakes 
the  prophetess  to  learn  the  fate  of  his  son  Balder.  He 
also  takes  counsel  from  the  utmost  sources  of  the  ocean, 
and  listens  to  the  voice  from  the  deep.  Some  myths 
refer  to  Odin's  pawning  his  eye  with  Mimer,  others  to 
his  talking  with  Mimer's  head. 

The  Younger  Edda,  having  stated  that  Mimer's  well 
is  situated  under  that  root  of  the  world-ash  Ygdrasil 
that  extends  to  Jotunheim,  adds  that  wisdom  and  wit 
lie  concealed  in  it,  and  that  Odin  came  to  Mimer  one 
day  and  asked  for  a  drink  of  water  from  the  fountain. 
He  obtained  the  drink,  but  was  obliged  to  leave  one  of 
his  eyes  in  pawn  for  it.  To  this  myth  refers  the  follow- 
ing passage  from  the  Voluspa  in  the  Elder  Edda: 

Alone  she*  sat  without. 
When  came  that  ancient 
Dreaded  priucef  of  the  gods, 
And  in  his  eye  she  gazed. 

The  vala  to  Odin: 

Of  what  wouldst  thou  ask  me? 
Odin!    I  know  all, 
Where  thou  thine  eye  didst  sink 
In  the  pure  well  of  Mimer. 

Mimer  drinks  mead  each  morn 
From  Valfather's  pledge. 
Understand  ye  yet,  or  what? 

This  myth  was  given  in  connection  with  Ygdrasil, 
but  it  is  repeated  here  to  shed  a  ray  of  light  upon  the 
character  of  Odin,  and  in  this  wise  Mimer  is  brought 
into  a  clearer  sunlight  also. 

*  The  vala,  or  prophetess.  t  Odin. 


230  ODIK   AND   MIMER. 

In  regard  to  Odin's  speaking  with  Mimer's  head,  we 
have  the  following  passage  in  the  lay  of  Sigdrifa: 

On  the  rock  he*  stood 

With  edged  sword, 

A  helm  on  his  head  he  bore. 

Then  sj)ake  Mimer's  head 

Its  first  wise  word, 

And  true  sayings  uttered. 

And  in  Voluspii,  when  Eagnarok  is  impending: 

Mimer's  sons  dance, 

But  the  central  tree  takes  fire 

At  the  resounding 

Gjallarhorn, 

Loud  blows  Heimdal, 

His  horn  is  raised; 

Odin  speaks 

Witit  Mimer's  Jiead. 

Odin's  eye  is  the  sun.  Mimer's  fountain  is  the 
utmost  sources  of  the  ocean.  Into  it,  Odin's  eye,  the 
sun  sinks  every  evening  to  search  the  secrets  of  the  deep, 
and  every  morning  Mimer  drinks  the  gold-brown  mead 
(aurora).  When  the  dawn  colors  the  sea  with  crimson 
and  scarlet,  then  Mimer's  white  fountain  is  changed  to 
golden  mead;  it  is  then  Mimer,  the  watcher  of  the 
fountain  of  knowledge,  drinks  with  his  golden  horn  the 
clear  mead  which  j&ows  over  Odin's  pledge.  But  Mimer 
means  memory f  (Anglo-Saxon  meojnor),  and  as  we  know 
that  our  ancestors  paid  deep  reverence  to  the  memories 
of  the  past,  and  that  the  fallen  heroes,  who  enjoyed  the 
happiness  of  Valhal  with  Odin,  reveled  in  the  memory 
of  their  deeds  done  on  earth,  it  is  proper  to  add  that 
Mimer  is  an  impersonation  of  memory.  Our  sjoirit 
(Odin,   od,   aancT)    sinks   down    into   the   depths   of   the 

*  Odin.  t  See  Vocabulary  iiuoer  the  word  Mimer. 


HLIDSKJALF.  231 

past  (memory,  the  sea,  Odin's  fountain),  and  brings 
back  golden  thoughts,  which  are  developed  by  the 
knowledge  which  we  obtained  from  the  depths  beneath 
the  sea  of  past  history  and  experience.  What  a  vast 
ocean  is  the  history  and  experience  of  our  race! 

SECTION    VII.     HLIDSKJALF. 

Hlidskjalf  is  Odin's  throne.  The  accounts  of  it  are 
very  meagre.  The  Younger  Edda  speaks  of  a  stately 
mansion  belonging  to  Odin  called  Valaskjalf,  which  was 
built  by  the  gods  and  roofed  with  pure  silver,  and  in 
which  is  the  throne  called  Hlidskjalf.  When  Odin  is 
seated  on  this  throne  he  can  see  over  the  whole  world. 
But  he  not  only  looks,  he  also  listens. 

Odin  listened 
In  Hlidskjalf, 

it  is  said  in  Odin's  Eaven-song;  in  Grimner's  lay  it 
is  stated  that  Odin  and  Frigg,  his  wife,  were  sitting  in 
Hlidskjalf,  looking  over  all  the  world ;  and  in  the  lay 
of  Skirner  we  read  that  Frey,  son  of  Njord,  had  one 
day  seated  himself  in  Hlidskjalf.  As  Odin  every  morning 
sends  out  his  ravens,  it  seems  to  be  his  first  business, 
as  a  good  father,  to  look  out  upon  the  world  that  he 
has  made,  and  see  how  his  children  are  doing,  and 
w^hether  they  need  his  providential  care  in  any  respect. 
Hlidskjalf  and  Valhal  must  not  be  confounded.  Valhal 
will  be  explained  hereafter.  It  is  situated  in  Gladsheim, 
wliere  Odin  sat  with  his  chosen  heroes  and  drank  wine. 
But  Valaskjalf  is  a  place  apart  from  Gladsheim,  and  on 
its  highest  pinnacle  above  the  highest  arches  of  heaven 
is  Odin's  throne,  Hlidskjalf 


232  THE   HISTOEICAL   ODIN. 

SECTION   VIII.      THE   HISTORICAL   ODIN. 

We  have  now  presented  the  mythological  Odin  as 
based  on  the  inscrutable  phenomena  of  nature,  and  have 
given  some  hints  in  regard  to  the  ethical  or  anthropo- 
morphic element  contained  in  each  myth.  Our  next 
subject  will  be  Odin's  wives,  their  maid-servants,  his  sons, 
etc.;  but  before  we  proceed  to  them  we  will  give  a  short 
outline  of  the  historical  Odin,  as  he  is  presented  in  the 
Heimskringia  of  Snorre  Sturleson  by  Saxo  Grammaticus 
and  others.  Mr.  Mallet,  the  French  writer  on  Northern 
Antiquities,  has  given  a  synoptical  view  of  all  that  these 
writers  have  said  about  tlie  wanderings  and  exploits  of 
this  famous  person,  and  we  will  make  an  abstract  from 
him. 

The  Roman  Empire  had  arrived  at  its  highest  point  of 
power,  and  saw  all  the  then  known  world  subject  to  its 
laws,  when  an  unforeseen  event  raised  up  enemies  against 
it  from  the  very  bosom  of  the  forests  of  Scythia  and  on 
the  banks  of  the  Tanais.  Mithridates.  by  flying  had 
drawn  Pompey  after  him  into  those  deserts.  The  king 
of  Pontus  sought  there  for  refuge  and  new  means  of 
vengeance.  He  hoped  to  arm  against  the  ambition  of 
Rome  all  the  barbarous  nations,  his  neighbors,  whose 
liberty  she  threatened.  He  succeeded  in  this  at  first,  but 
all  those  peoples,  ill  united  as  allies,  poorly  armed  as 
soldiers,  and  still  worse  disciplined,  were  forced  to  yield 
to  the  genius  of  Pompey.  Odin  is  said  to  have  been  of 
this  number.  He  was  obliged  to  flee  from  the  vengeance 
of  the  Romans  and  to  seek,  in  countries  unknown  to  his 
enemies,  that  safety  which  he  could  no  longer  find  in 
his  own. 

Odin  commanded  the  Asas,  whose  country  was  situ- 
ated between  the  Pontus  Euxinus  and  the  Caspian  Sea» 


THE    HISTORICAL    ODIN.  233 

Their  principal  city  was  Asgard.  Odin  having  united 
under  his  banners  the  youth  of  the  neighboring  nations, 
marclied  toward  tlie  west  and  north  of  Europe,  subduing 
all  the  peoples  he  met  on  his  way  and  giving  them  to 
one  or  other  of  his  sons  for  subjects.  Many  sovereign 
families  of  the  North  are  said  to  be  descended  from  these 
princes.  Thus  Hengist  and  Horsa,  the  Saxon  chiefs  who 
conquered  Britain  in  the  fifth  century,  counted  Odin  in 
the  number  of  their  ancestors.  So  did  also  the  other 
Anglo-Saxon  princes,  as  well  as  the  greater  part  of  the 
princes  of  Lower  Germany  and  the  North. 

After  having  disposed  of  so  many  countries  and  con- 
firmed and  settled  his  new  governments,  Odin  directed 
his  course  toward  Scandinavia,  passing  through  Hol- 
stein  and  Jutland.  These  provinces  made  him  no  resist- 
ance. Then  he  passed  into  Funen  (Denmark),  which 
submitted  as  soon  as  he  appeared.  In  this  island  he 
remained  for  a  long  time  and  built  the  city  of  Odense 
(Odins-e//,  Odin's  island),  which  still  preserves  in  its 
name  the  memory  of  its  founder.  Hence  he  extended 
his  authority  over  all  the  North.  He  subdued  the  rest 
of  Denmark  and  placed  his  son  Skjold  upon  its  throne. 
The  descendants  of  Skjold  continued  for  many  genera- 
tions to  rule  Denmark,  and  were  called  Skjoldings. 

Odin,  who  seems  to  have  been  better  pleased  to  give 
crowns  to  his  children  than  to  wear  them  himself,  after- 
wards passed  over  into  Sweden,  where  at  that  time  ruled 
a  prince  by  name  Gylfe,  who  paid  him  great  honors  and 
even  worshiped  him  as  a  divinity.  Odin  quickly  acquired 
in  Sweden  the  same  authority  as  he  had  obtained  in 
Denmark.  The  Swedes  came  in  crowds  to  do  him  hom- 
age, and  by  common  consent  bestowed  the  title  of  king 
upon  his  son  Yngve  and  his  posterity.  Hence  sprung 
the  Ynglings,  a  name  by  which  the  kings  of  Sweden 
20 


234  THE   HISTORICAL   ODIN. 

were  for  a  long  time  distinguished.  Gylfe  died  and  was 
forgotten ;  Odin  acquired  lasting  fame  by  his  distin- 
guished rule.  He  enacted  new  laws,  introduced  the 
customs  of  his  own  country,  and  established  at  Sigtuna, 
an  ancient  city  in  the  same  province  as  Stockholm,  a 
supreme  council  or  tribunal,  composed  of  twelve  judges. 
Their  business  was  to  watch  over  the  public  weal,  to 
distribute  justice  to  the  people,  to  preside  over  the  new 
worship,  which  Odin  had  brought  with  him  into  the 
North,  and  to  preserve  faithfully  the  religious  and  mag- 
ical secrets  which  that  prince  dej^osited  with  them.  He 
levied  a  tax  on  every  man  throughout  the  country,  but 
engaged  on  his  part  to  defend  the  inhabitants  against 
all  their  enemies  and  to  defray  the  expense  of  the  wor- 
ship rendered  to  the  gods  at  Sigtuna. 

These  great  acquisitions  seem  not,  however,  to  have 
satisfied  his  ambition.  The  desire  of  extending:  further 
his  religion,  his  authority,  and  his  glory,  caused  him  to 
undertake  the  conquest  of  Norway,  His  good  fortune 
followed  him  thither,  and  this  kingdom  quickly  obeyed 
a  son  of  Odin  named  Saeming,  who  became  the  head  of 
a  family  the  different  branches  of  which  reigned  for  a 
long  time  in  Norway. 

After  Odin  had  finished  these  glorious  achievements 
he  retired  into  Sweden,  where,  perceiving  his  end  to 
draw  near,  he  would  not  wait  for  a  lingering  disease  to 
put  an  end  to  that  life  which  he  had  so  often  and  so 
valiantly  hazarded  in  the  battle-field,  but  gathering  round 
him  the  friends  and  companions  of  his  fortune,  he  gave 
himself  nine  wounds  in  the  form  of  a  circle  with  the 
point  of  a  lance,  and  many  other  cuts  in  his  skin  with 
his  sAvord.  As  he  was  dying  he  declared  he  was  going 
back  to  Asgard  to  take  his  seat  among  the  gods  at  an 
eternal    banquet,   where    he  would    receive  with    great 


THE    HISTORICAL    ODIN.  235 

honors  all  who  should  expose  themselves  intrepidly  in 
battle  and  die  bravely  with  their  swords  in  their  hands. 
As  soon  as  he  had  breathed  his  last  they  carried  his 
body  to  Sigtuna,  where,  in  accordance  with  a  custom 
introduced  by  him  into  the  North,  his  body  was  burned 
with  much  pomp  and  magnificence. 

Such  was  the  end  of  this  man,  whose  death  was 
as  extraordinary  as  his  life.  It  has  been  contended  by 
many  learned  men  that  a  desire  of  being  revenged  on 
the  Romans  was  the  ruling  principle  of  his  whole  con- 
duct. Driven  by  those  enemies  of  universal  liberty  from 
his  former  home,  his  resentment  was  the  more  violent, 
since  the  Goths  considered  it  a  sacred  duty  to  revenge 
all  injuries,  especially  those  offered  to  their  relations  or 
country.  He  had  no  other  view,  it  is  said,  in  traversing 
so  many  distant  kingdoms,  and  in  establishing  with  so 
much  zeal  his  doctrines  of  valor,  but  to  arouse  all 
nations  against  so  formidable  and  odious  a  nation  as 
that  of  Rome.  This  leaven  which  Odin  left  in  the 
bosoms  of  the  worshipers  of  the  gods,  fermented  a  long 
time  in  secret ;  but  in  the  fullness  of  time,  the  signal 
given,  they  fell  upon  this  unhappy  empire,  and,  after 
many  repeated  shocks,  entirely  overturned  it,  thus  re- 
venging the  insult  offered  so  many  ages  before  to  their 
founder. 

Tbe  Sagas  paint  Odin  as  the  most  persuasive  of  men. 
Nothing  could  resist  the  force  of  his  words.  He  some- 
times enlivened  his  harangues  with  verses,  which  he  com- 
posed extemporaneously,  and  he  was  not  only  a  great 
poet,  but  it  was  he  who  taught  the  art  of  poetry  to  the 
Norsemen.  He  was  the  inventor  of  the  runic  characters, 
which  so  long  were  used  in  the  North.  This  marking 
down  the  unseen  thought  that  is  in  man  with  written 
characters   is  the  most  wonderful  invention  ever  made; 


236  odin's  wives. 

it  is  almost  as  miraculous  as  speech  itself,  and  well 
may  it  be  called  a  sort  of  second  speech.  But  what 
most  contributed  to  make  Odin  pass  for  a  god  was  his 
skill  in  magic.  He  could  run  over  the  world  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye;  he  had  the  command  of  the  air 
and  the  tempests,  he  could  transform  himself  into  all 
sorts  of  shapes,  could  raise  the  dead,  could  foretell 
things  to  come,  could  by  enchantments  deprive  his 
enemies  of  health  and  strength  and  discover  all  the 
treasures  concealed  in  the  earth.  He  knew  how  to 
sing  airs  so  tender  and  melodious,  that  the  very  plains 
and  mountains  would  open  and  expand  with  delight ; 
the  ghosts,  attracted  by  the  sweetness  of  his  songs, 
would  leave  their  infernal  caverns  and  stand  motionless 
around  him. 

But  while  his  eloquence,  together  with  his  august 
and  venerable  deportment,  procured  him  love  and  re- 
spect in  a  calm  and  peaceable  assembly,  he  was  no  less 
dreadful  and  furious  in  battle.  He  inspired  his  enemies 
with  such  terror  that  they  thought  they  could  not  de- 
scribe it  better  than  by  saying  he  rendered  them  blind 
and  deaf.  He  would  appear  like  a  wolf  all  desperate  and 
biting  his  very  shield  for  rage,  he  would  throw  liimself 
amidst  the  opposing  ranks,  making  around  him  the 
most  horrible  carnage,  without  receiving  any  wound 
himself.  Such  is  the  historical  Odin  of  the  North, 
such  was,  in  other  words,  the  great  example  that  the 
Norsemen  had  to  imitate  in  war  and  in  peace. 

SECTION    IX.      ODIN'S    WIVES. 

Odin's  wives  are  Jord  (Fjorgyn,  Hlodyn),  Eind  and 
Frigg.  Heaven  is  married  to  earth.  This  we  find  in 
all  mythologies  (Uranos  and  Gaia,  Zeus  and  Demeter, 
etc.)      Among   the   Norsemen   also  the  ruler  of  heaven 


odin's  wives.  237 

and  earth  (Odin)  enters  into  marriage  relations  with  his 
own  handiwork.  This  relation  is  expressed  in  three 
ways:  Odin  Is  married  to  Jord,  to  Frigg,  and  to  Kind. 
Jord  is  the  original,  uninhabited  earth,  or  the  earth 
without  reference  to  man ;  Frigg  is  the  inhabited,  cul- 
tivated earth,  the  abode  of  man,  and  Eiud  is  the  earth 
when  it  has  again  become  unfruitful,  when  the  white 
flakes  of  winter  have  ,  covered  its  crust ;  it  is  in  this 
latter  condition  that  she  long  resists  the  loving  embraces 
of  her  husband.  These  three  relations  are  expressed  still 
more  clearly  by  their  children.  With  Jord  Odin  begets 
Thor,  with  Frigg  Balder,  and  with  Rind  Vale.  Jord 
is  the  Greek  Gaia,  Frigg  is  Demeter,  but  the  fortunate 
Greeks  had  no  goddess  corresponding  to  Eind ;  they 
knew  not  the  severe  Norse  winter. 

Jord  is  sometimes  called  Fjorgyn  and  Hlodyn,  but 
neither  of  these  names  occur  many  times  in  the  Eddas. 
There  are  only  found  occasional  allusions  to  her,  such 
as  the  flesh  of  Ymer,  the  daughter  of  Annar,  sister  of 
Dag,  mother  of  Thor,  etc. 

Frigg  is  the  daughter  of  Fjorgyn  and  the  first  among 
the  goddesses,  the  queen  of  the  asas  and  asynjes.  Odin 
is  her  dearly  beloved  husband.  She  sits  with  him  in 
Hlidskjalf  and  looks  out  upon  all  the  worlds,  and  for 
the  death  of  their  son,  the  light  Balder,  they  mourn  to- 
gether with  all  nature.  Frigg  knows  the  fate  of  men, 
but  she  never  says  or  prophesies  anything  about  it  her- 
self. She  possesses  a  falcon-disguise,  which  Loke  once 
borrowed  of  her.  She  possesses  a  magnificent  mansion 
Fensal,  where  she  sat  weeping  overValhal's  misfortune 
after  the  death  of  Balder.  It  is  not  certain  whether 
Friday  is  named  after  Frigg  or  Freyja  or  after  Frey,  but/ 
the  probabilities  are  that  it  is  Freyja's  day  (dies  Veneris ).l 
Wiiile  Frigg  and  Freyja  are  by  many  authors  confounded,' 


238  frigg's  maid-servants. 

they  are  nevertheless  wholly  different  characters,  Frigg 
is  «s«queen,  Freyja  is  vanadis.  Frigg  is  a  mother's  love ; 
Freyja  is  the  love  of  the  youth  or  maiden.  The  asas 
are  land  deities,  the  vans  are  divinities  of  the  water. 
The  vana-goddess  Freyja  represents  the  snrging,  billowy, 
unsettled  love ;  the  asynje  Frigg  represents  love  in  its 
nobler  and  more  constant  form. 

SECTiojsr  X.    frigg's  maid-servants. 

Fulla,  Hlyn,  Gnaa,  Snotra,  Var,  Lofn  (Sjofn),  and 
Syn,  are  enumerated  as  maid-servants  of  Frigg. 

Fulla  goes  about  with  her  hair  flowing  over  her 
shoulders  and  her  head  adorned  with  a  golden  ribbon. 
She  is  intrusted  with  the  toilette  and  slippers  of  Frigg 
and  admitted  into  the  most  important  secrets  of  that 
goddess.  The  word  Fulla  means  full,  fulness,  and  as 
the  servant  of  Frigg  she  represents  the  fulness  of  the 
earth,  which  is  beautifully  suggested  by  her  waving  hair 
and  golden  ribbon  (liarvest),  and  when  Balder  sent  the 
ring  Draupner  from  Hel,  his  wife  Nanna  sent  Frigg  a 
carpet,  and  Fulla  a  gold  ring. 

Hlyn  has  the  care  of  those  whom  Frigg  intends  to 
deliver  from  peril. 

Gnaa  is  the  messenger  that  Frigg  sends  into  the 
various  worlds  on  her  errands.  She  has  a  horse  that 
can  run  through  air  and  water,  called  Hofvarpner  (the 
hoof-thrower).  Once,  as  she  drove  out,  certain  vans 
saw  her  car  in  the  air,  when  one  of  them  exclaimed : 

What  flies  there? 
What  goes  there? 
In  the  air  aloft  what  glides  ? 


She  answered 


I  fly  not,  though  I  go, 
And  glide  through  the  air 


GEFJUN  —  EIR.  239 

On  Hofvarpner, 

Whose  sire's  Hamskerper* 

And  dame  Gardrofa.f 

Gnaa  is  interpreted  to  mean  the  mild  breezes,  that 
Frigg  sends  out  to  produce  good  weather. 

Vur  listens  to  the  oaths  that  men  take,  and  par- 
ticularly the  troth  plighted  between  man  and  woman, 
and  punishes  those  who  keep  not  their  promises.  She 
is  wise  and  prudent,  and  so  penetrating  that  nothing 
remains  hidden  from  her.  Her  name  Var  means  wary, 
careful. 

Lofn  {lofa,  lohen,  love)  is  so  mild  and  gracious  to  those 
who  invoke  her,  that  by  a  peculiar  privilege  which  either 
Odin  himself  or  Frigg  has  given  her,  she  can  remove 
every  obstacle  that  may  prevent  the  union  of  lovers 
sincerely  attached  to  each  other.  Hence  her  name  is 
applied  to  denote  love,  and  whatever  is  beloved  by 
men. 

Sjofn  delights  in  turning  men's  hearts  and  thoughts 
to  love;   hence  love  is  called  from  her  name  sjafni. 

Syn  keeps  the  door  in  the  hall  and  shuts  it  against 
those  who  ought  not  to  enter.  She  presides  at  trials, 
when  anything  is  to  be  denied  on  oath ;  whence  the 
proverb,  Syn  (negation)  is  set  against  it,  when  anything 
is  denied. 

SECTION"   XI.      GEFJUN,   EIR. 

The  norns  or  destinies  have  been  previously  explained 
(see  p.  190) ;  Nauna  will  be  discussed  in  connection 
with  Balder,  and  Freyja,  the  goddess  of  love,  in  con- 
nection with  Njord  and  Frey;  but  there  are  besides 
these  a  few  other  goddesses,  who  demand  our  attention 
here. 

*He  who  hardens  the  hide.        +  Fence-breaker. 


240  GEFJUN. 

Gefjnn  is  a  maid,  and  all  those  who  die  maids  become 
her  hand-maidens.  Of  her  there  is  the  following  anec- 
dote in  the  Younger  Edda.  King  Gylfe  ruled  over  the 
land  which  is  now  called  SAveden.  It  is  related  of  him 
that  he  once  gave  a  wayfaring  woman,  as  a  recompense 
for  her  having  diverted  him,  as  much  land  in  his  realm 
as  she  could  plow  with  four  oxen  in  a  day  and  a  night.* 
This  woman  was  however  of  the  race  of  the  asas,  and 
was  called  Gefjun.  She  took  four  oxen  from  the  North, 
out  of  Jotunheim,  (but  they  were  the  sons  she  had  had 
with  a  giant,)  and  set  them  before  a  plow.  Now  the 
plow  made  such  deep  furrows  that  it  tore  up  the  land, 
which  the  oxen  drew  westward  out  to  the  sea  until  they 
came  to  a  sound.  There  Gefjun  fixed  the  land  and  called 
it  Zealand.  And  the  place  where  the  land  had  stood 
became  water,  and  formed  a  lake  which  is  now  called 
Logrinn  (the  sea)  in  Sweden,  and  the  inlets  of  this  lake 
correspond  exactly  with  the  headlands  of  Zealand  in 
Denmark.     Thus  saith  the  Skald,  Brage  : 

Gefjun  drew  from  Gylfe, 

Rich  in  stored  up  treasure. 

The  land  she  joined  to  Denmark. 

Four  heads  and  eight  eyes  bearing. 

While  hot  sweat  trickled  down  them, 

The  oxen  dragged  the  reft  mass 

That  formed  this  winsome  island. 

The  etymology  of  Gefjun  is  uncertain.  Some  ex- 
plain it  as  being  a  combination  of  the  Greek  yvi  and 
Norse  fjon,  separation  {terrcB  separatio).  Grimm  com- 
pares it  with  the  Old  Saxon  gehan,  Anglo-Saxon  geofon, 
gifan,  the  ocean.  Grundtvig  derives  it  from  Anglo- 
Saxon  gefean,  gladness.  He  says  it  is  the  same  word  as 
Funen  (Fyn),  and  that  the  meaning  of  the  myth  is  that 

*  Compare  with  this  myth  Dido  and  the  founding  of  Carthage. 


EIND.  341 

Fimen  and  Jutland  with  united  strength  tore  Zealand 
from  Sweden.  This  would  then  be  a  historical  inter- 
pretation. 

The  derivation  from  gefa,  to  give,  has  also  been  sug- 
gested, and  there  is  no  doubt  thac  the  plowing  Gefjun  is 
the  goddess  of  agriculture.  She  unites  herself  with  the 
giants  (the  barren  and  unfruitful  fields  or  deserts)  and 
subdues  them,  thus  preparing  the  land  for  cultivation. 
In  this  sense  she  is  Frigg's  maid-servant.  Gefjun,  the 
plowed  laud,  develops  into  Frigg,  the  fruit-bearing  earth; 
hence  she  is  a  maid,  not  a  woman.  The  maid  is  not, 
but  shall  become  fruitful. 

Eir  is  the  goddess  of  the  healing  art,  and  this  is 
about  all  that  we  know  of  her;  but  that  is  a  great  deal. 
A  healer  for  our  frail  body  and  for  the  sick  mind ! 
what  a  beneficent  divinity! 

SECTION    XII.     EIJS'D. 

This  goddess  was  mentioned  in  Section  IX.  It  is 
the  third  form  of  earth  in  its  relation  to  Odin.  Thus 
the  lay  of  Vegtam,  in  the  Elder  Edda: 

Rind  a  son  sliall  bear 

In  the  wintry  halls. 

He  shall  slaj^  Odin's  son 

When  one  night  old. 

He  a  hand  will  not  wash, 

Nor  his  hair  comb, 

Ere  he  to  the  pile  has  borne 

Balder's  adversary. 

Odin's  repeated  wooing  of  this  maid  is  expressed  in 
Hcivamiil,  of  the  Elder  Edda,  as  follows: 

The  mind  only  knows 
What  lies  near  the  heart; 
21 


242  KIND. 


That  alone  is  conscious  of  our  affections. 

No  disease  is  worse 

To  a  sensible  man 

Than  not  to  be  content  with  him&clf. 

That  I  experienced 
When  in  the  reeds  I  sat 
Awaiting  my  delight. 
Body  and  soul  to  me 
Was  that  discreet  maiden: 
Nevertheless  I  possess  her  not. 

Billing's  lass* 

On  her  couch  I  found. 

Sun-bright,  sleeping. 

A  prince's  joy 

To  me  seemed  naught. 

If  not  with  that  form  to  live. 

Yet  nearer  night,  she  said, 

Must  thou,  Odin,  come. 

If  thou  wilt  talk  the  maiden  over; 

All  will  be  disastrous 

Unless  we  alone 

Are  privy  to  such  misdeed. 

I  returned, 

Thinking  to  love 

At  her  wise  desire ; 

I  thought 

I  should  obtain 

Her  whole  heart  and  love. 

When  next  I  came, 

The  bold  warriors  were 

All  awake. 

With  lights  burning. 

And  bearing  torches : 

Thus  was  the  way  to  pleasure  closed. 

*  Rind  was  daughter  of  Billing. 


RIND.  243 

But  at  the  approach  of  morn. 

When  again  I  came, 

The  liousehold  all  was  sleeping ; 

The  good  damsel's  dog 

Alone  I  found 

Tied  to  the  bed. 

Many  a  fair  maiden, 

When  rightly  known. 

Toward  men  is  fickle  : 

That  I  experienced 

When  that  discreet  maiden  I 

Strove  to  win : 

Contumely  of  every  kind 

That  wily  girl 

Heaped  upon  me  ; 

Nor  of  that  damsel  gained  I  aught. 

This  is  clearly  the  same  story  as  is  related  by  Saxo 
Grammaticus,  as  follows:  Odin  loves  a  maiden,  whose 
name  is  Rind,  and  who  has  a  stubborn  disposition. 
Odin  tried  to  revenge  the  death  of  his  son  Balder.  Then 
he  was  told  by  Eosthiof  that  he  with  Rind,  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  king  of  the  Ruthenians,  would  beget  another 
son,  who  would  revenge  his  brother's  death.  Odin  put 
on  his  broad-brimmed  hat  and  went  into  the  service  of 
the  king,  and  won  the  friendship  of  the  king,  for  as 
commander  he  put  a  whole  army  to  flight.  He  revealed 
his  love  to  the  king,  but  when  he  asked  the  maiden 
for  a  kiss,  she  struck  his  ear.  The  next  year  he  came 
as  a  smith,  called  himself  Rosterus,  and  offered  the 
maiden  a  magnificent  bracelet  and  beautiful  rings;  but 
she  gave  his  ear  another  blow.  The  third  time  he  came 
as  a  young  warrior,  but  she  thrust  him  away  from  her 
so  violently  that  he  fell  head  first  to  the  ground. 
Finally  he  came  as  a  woman,  called  himself  Vecha,  and 
said  he   was   a   doctress.     As    Rind's    servant-maid,  he 


244  KIND. 

washed  her  feet  iu  the  evening,  and  when  she  became 
sick  he  promised  to  cure  her,  but  the  remedy  was  so 
bitter  that  she  must  first  be  bound.  He  represented  to 
her  father  that  it,  even  against  her  wish,  must  operate 
with  all  its  dissolving  power,  and  permeate  all  her  limbs 
before  she  could  be  restored  to  health.  Thus  he  won 
the  maiden,  as  some  think,  with  the  secret  consent  of 
her  father.  But  the  gods  banished  Odin  from  Byzan- 
tium, and  accepted  in  his  place  a  certain  Oiler,  whom 
they  even  gave  Odin's  name.  This  Oiler  had  a  bone, 
which  he  had  so  charmed  by  incantations  that  he  could 
traverse  the  ocean  with  it  as  in  a  ship.  Oiler  was  ban- 
ished again  by  the  gods,  and  betook  himself  to  Sweden  ; 
but  Odin  returned  in  his  divine  dignity  and  requested 
his  son  Bous,  whom  Rind  had  borne,  and  who  showed 
a  great  proclivity  for  war,  to  revenge  the  death  of  his 
brother.  Saxo  Grammaticus  relates  this  as  confidently 
as  if  it  were  the  most  genuine  history,  not  having  the 
faintest  suspicion  as  to  its  mythical  character. 

Saxo's  Rosthiof  is  mentioned  in  the  Elder  Edda  as 
Hross-thiofr  (horse-thief),  of  Hrimner's  (the  frost's  rime's) 
race.  Saxo's  Vecha  is  Odin,  Avho  in  the  Elder  Edda  is 
called  Vak.  The  latter  portion  of  the  myth  is  not  given 
in  Havamal,  and  were  it  not  for  faithful  Saxo  we  should 
scarcely  understand  that  portion  of  the  Elder  Edda  which 
was  quoted  above.  But  with  the  light  that  he  sheds 
upon  it  there  is  no  longer  any  doubt.  Rind  is  the  earth, 
not  generally  speaking,  but  the  earth  who  after  the  death 
of  Balder  is  consigned  to  the  power  of  winter.  Does  not 
the  English  word  rind  remind  us  of  the  hard-frozen 
crust  of  the  earth  ?  Defiantly  and  long  she  resists  the 
love  of  Odin;  in  vain  he  proffers  her  the  ornaments  of 
summer ;  in  vain  he  reminds  her  of  his  warlike  deeds, 
the  Norseman's  most  cherished  enterprise  in  the  summer- 


RIND.  245 

season.  By  his  all-powerful  witchcraft  he  must  dissolve 
and  as  it  were  melt  her  stubborn  mind.  Finally  she 
gives  birth  to  Vale,  the  strong    warrior. 

In  the  incantation  of  Groa,  in  the  Elder  Edda,  this 
is  the  first  song  that  the  mother  sings   to  her  son': 

I  will  sing  to  thee  first 

One  that  is  thought  most  useful, 

Wliich  Rind  sang  to  Ran  ;  * 

That  from  thy  shoulders  thou  shouldst  cast 

What  to  thee  seems  irksome : 

Let  thyself  thyself  direct.     (Be  independent !  ) 

What  is  it  that  seems  so  irksome  to  Kind  and  Ean, 
and  that  both  cast  from  their  shoulders  in  order  to 
become  independent  ?  It  is  the  ice.  When  Eind  had 
thrown  it  off  she  requested  the  sea-goddess  Kan  to  do 
likewise. 

The  Greeks  have  a  myth  corresponding  somewhat  to 
this.  The  god  of  the  heavens,  Zeus,  comes  down  in  the 
rain  into  Hera's  lap ;  but  when  she  resisted  his  entreaties 
Zeus  let  fall  a  shower  of  rain,  while  she  was  sitting  on 
the  top  of  a  mountain,  and  he  changed  himself  to  a 
nightingale  (a  symbol  of  spring-time).  Then  Hera  com- 
passionately took  the  wet  and  dripping  bird  into  her  lap. 
But  look  at  the  difference!  Hera  soon  gives  way  and 
pities,  but  our  Norse  Kind  makes  a  desperate  resistance. 
It  repeatedly  looks  as  if  Odin  had  conquered,  but  the 
maid  reassumes  her  stubborn  disposition.  How  true  this 
is  of  the  climate  in  the  northern  latitudes !  Kind  is  not 
inapplicable  to  our  Wisconsin  winters. 

Such  is  the  physical  interpretation  of  Odin's  relation 
to  Frigg  and  Kind.  Heaven  and  earth  are  wedded 
together  ;  and  upon  this  marriage  earth  presents  itself  in 
two  forms :  fruitful  and  blest,  unfruitful  and  imprisoned 

*  The  goddess  of  the  sea. 


^ 


246  GUNLAD — THE    ORIGIN    OF    POETRY. 

in  the  chains  of  cold  and  frost.  As  the  king  of  the  year 
Odin  embraces  both  of  tliem.  Bnt  Odhi  is  also  the 
spiritual  {aand)  king,  who  unites  himself  with  the  human 
earthly  mind.  He  finds  it  crude  and  uncultured,  but 
susceptible  of  impressions.  Pure  thoughts  and  noble 
feelings  are  developed,  which  grow  into  blooming  activ- 
ities. But  then  comes  back  again  the  unfeeling  coldness 
and  defiant  stubbornness  which  take  possession  of  the 
mind,  shutting  out  the  influence  of  truth  upon  the  mind. 
It  is  a  sad  time  when  doubt  and  skepticism  and  despair 
every  night  lay  their  leaden  weight  upon  the  poor  man's 
soul.  However  to  the  honest  seeker  of  truth  it  is  only 
a  transitory  state  of  trial.  A  wise  Providence  takes  him 
with  tender  and  patient  hands  again  to  his  bosom.  He 
sends  down  showers  of  blessings  or  misfortunes  upon 
him.  With  his  mild  breath  he  melts  the  frozen  heart, 
and  it  at  once  clothes  itself  with  garlands  of  divinest 
hues.  With  all  his  charms  he  touches  the  wintry  rind 
that  encases  us,  and  the  mind  stands  forth  unmanacled 
and  free.  What  to  the  year  is  light  summer  and  dark 
winter  is  to  us  bright  and  gloomy  periods  of  our  exist- 
ence, that  succeed  each  other  in  their  turn,  advancing 
or  impeding  our  spiritual  development,  which  must  con- 
tinue forever.  This  is  also  contained  in  the  myth  about 
Odin  and  Kind,  nay,  it  is  the  better  half. 

SECTION    XIII.      GUNLAD.      THE    ORIGIN    OF    POETRY. 

Poetry  is  represented  as  an  inspiring  drink.  He  Avho 
partakes  of  it  is  skald,  poet.  This  drink  was  kept  with 
the  giants,  where  Gunlad  protected  it.  Odin  goes  down 
to  the  giants,  conquers  all  obstacles,  wins  Gunlad's  affec- 
tion, and  gets  permission  to  partake  of  the  drink.  He 
brings  it  to  the  upper  world  and  gives  it  to  men.     Thus 


GUKLAD — THE    OKIGIN    OF    POETRY.  247 

poetry  originated  and  developed.  Thus  it  is  related  in 
the  Younger  Edda: 

^ger  having  expressed  a  wish  to  know  how  poetry- 
originated,  Brage,  the  god  of  poetry,  informed  him  that 
the  asas  and  vans  having  met  to  put  an  end  to  the  war 
which  had  long  been  carried  on  between  them,  a  treaty 
of  peace  was  agreed  to  and  ratified  by  each  party  spitting 
into  a  jar.  As  a  lasting  sign  of  the  amity  -^vhich  was 
thenceforward  to  subsist  between  the  contending  parties, 
the  gods  formed  out  of  this  spittle  a  being,  to  whom 
they  gave  the  name  of  Kvaser,  and  whom  they  endowed 
with  such  a  high  degree  of  intelligence  that  no  one 
could  ask  him  a  question  that  he  was  unable  to  answer. 
Kvaser  then  traversed  the  whole  world  to  teach  men 
wisdom,  but  the  dwarfs,  Fjalar  and  Galar,  having  invited 
him  to  a  feast,  treacherously  murdered  him.  They  let 
his  blood  run  into  two  cups  and  a  kettle.  The  name 
of  the  kettle  is  Odroerer,  and  the  names  of  the  cups  are 
Son  and  Bodn.  By  mixing  up  his  blood  with  honey 
they  composed  a  drink  of  such  surpassing  excellence 
that  whoever  partakes  of  it  acquires  the  gift  of  song 
(becomes  a  poet  or  man  of  knowledge,  shcild,  e6a 
frc&6amcv^r).  When  the  gods  inquired  what  had  become 
of  Kvaser,  the  dwarfs  told  them  that  he  had  been  suf- 
focated with  his  own  wisdom,  not  being  able  to  find 
anyone  who,  by  proposing  to  him  a  sufficient  number 
of  learned  questions,  might  relieve  him  of  its  super- 
abundance. 

The  dwarfs  invited  a  giant,  by  name  Gilling,  and  his 
wife.  They  proposed  to  the  giant  to  take  a  boat-ride 
with  them  out  on  the  sea,  but  they  rowed  on  to  a  rock 
and  capsized.  Gilling  could  not  swim,  and  perished,  but 
the  dwarfs  rowed  ashore,  and  told  his  wife  of  his  death, 
which  made  her  burst  forth  in  a  flood  of  tears.     Then 


248  GUNLAD  —  THE    ORIGIN    OF    POETRY. 

Fjalar  asked  her  whether  it  would  not  be  some  conso- 
lation to  her  to  look  out  upon  the  water,  where  her 
husband  had  perished;  and  when  she  consented  to  this, 
Fjalar  said  to  his  brother  Galar  that  he  should  get  up 
above  the  door,  and,  as  she  passed  out  through  it,  he 
should  let  fall  a  mill-stone  upon  her  head,  for  he  was 
sick  and  disgusted  with  her  crying.  The  brother  did 
so,  and  thus  she  perished  also.  A  son  of  Gilling,  a 
giant  by  name  Suttung,  avenged  these  treacherous  deeds. 
He  took  the  dwarfs  out  to  sea  and  placed  them  on  a 
shoal,  which  was  flooded  at  high  water.  In  this  critical 
position  they  implored  Suttung  to  spare  their  lives,  and 
accept  the  verse-inspiring  beverage,  which  they  possessed, 
as  an  atonement  for  their  having  killed  his  parents. 
Suttung,  having  agreed  to  these  conditions,  released  the 
dwarfs,  and,  carrying  the  mead  home  with  him,  com- 
mitted it  to  the  care  of  his  daughter  Gunlad.  Hence 
poetry  is  indifferently  called  Kvaser's  blood,  Suttung's 
mead,  the  dwarfs'  ransom,  etc. 

How  did  the  gods  get  possession  of  this  valuable 
mead  of  Suttung  ?  Odin  being  fully  determined  to  ac- 
quire it,  set  out  for  Jotunheim,  and  after  journeying 
for  some  time  he  came  to  a  meadow,  in  which  nine 
thralls  were  mowing.  Entering  into  conversation  with 
them,  Odin  oflFered  to  whet  their  scythes,  an  offer  which 
they  gladly  accepted.  He  took  a  wlietstone  from  his 
belt  and  whetted  their  scythes,  and  finding  that  it  had 
given  their  scythes  an  extraordinarily  keen  edge  the 
thralls  asked  him  whether  he  was  willing  to  dispose  of  it ; 
but  Odin  threw  the  whetstone  up  into  the  air,  and  as  all 
the  thralls  attempted  to  catch  it  as  it  fell,  each  brought 
his  scythe  to  bear  on  the  neck  of  one  of  his  comrades, 
so  that  they  were  all  killed  in  the  scramble.  Odin  took 
up  his  night's  lodging  at  the  house  of  Suttung's  brother 


GUNLAD  —  THE    ORIGIN    OF    POETRY.  249 

Bauge,  who  told  him  he  was  sadly  at  a  loss  for  labor- 
ers, his  nine  thralls  having  slain  each  other.  Odin  who 
here  called  himself  BoLverk  (one  who  can  perform  the 
most  difiicult  work),  said  that  for  a  draught  of  Suttung's 
mead  he  would  do  the  work  of  nine  men  for  him.  Bauge 
answered  that  he  had  no  control  over  it.  Suttung  wanted 
it  alone,  but  he  would  go  with  Bolverk  and  try  to  get 
it.  These  terms  were  agreed  on,  and  Odin  worked  for 
Bauge  the  whole  summer,  doing  the  work  of  nine  men; 
but  when  winter  set  in  he  wanted  his  reward.  Bauge 
and  Odin  set  out  together,  and  Bauge  explained  to 
Suttung  the  agreement  between  him  and  Bolverk,  but 
Suttuug  was  deaf  to  his  brother's  entreaties  and  would 
not  part  with  a  drop  of  the  precious  drink,  which  was 
carefully  preserved  in  a  cavern  under  his  daughter's  cus- 
tody. Into"  this  cavern  Odin  was  resolved  to  penetrate. 
We  must  invent  some  stratagem,  said  he  to  Bauge.  He 
then  gave  Bauge  the  augur,  which  is  called  Kate,  and 
said  to  him  that  he  should  bore  a  hole  through  the  rock, 
if  the  edge  of  the  augur  was  sharp  enough.  Bauge  did 
so,  and  said  that  he  now  had  bored  through.  But  Odin, 
or  Bolverk  as  he  is  here  called,  blew  into  the  augur- 
hole  and  the  chips  flew  into  his  face.  He  then  per- 
ceived that  Bauge  intended  to  deceive  him  and  com- 
manded him  to  bore  clear  through.  Bauge  bored  again, 
and,  when  Bolverk  blew  a  second  time,  the  chips  flew 
the  other  way.  Then  Odin  transformed  himself  into  a 
worm,  crept  through  the  hole,  and  resuming  his  natural 
shape  won  the  heart  of  Gunlad.  Bauge  put  the  augur 
down  after  him,  but  missed  him.  After  having  passed 
three  nights  with  the  ftiir  maiden,  he  had  no  great  dif- 
ficulty in  inducing  her  to  let  him  take  a  draught  out 
of  each  of  the  three  jars  called  Odroerer,  Bodu,  and 
Son,  in   which    the   mead    was   kept.      But   wishing   to 


250  GUNLAD  —  THE    ORIGIN    OF    POETRY. 

make  the  most  of  his  advantuge,  he  drank  so  deep  that 
uot  a  drop  was  left  in  the  vessels.  Transforming  himself 
into  an  eagle,  he  then  flew  off  as  fast  as  his  wings  could 
carry  him,  but  Suttung  becoming  aware  of  the  strata- 
gem, also  took  upon  himself  an  eagle's  guise  and  flew 
after  him.  The  gods,  on  seeing  him  approach  Asgard, 
set  out  in  the  yard  all  the  jars  they  could  lay  their  hands 
on,  which  Odin  filled  by  disgorging  through  his  beak 
the  wonder-working  liquor  he  had  drunk.  He  was  how- 
ever so  near  being  caught  by  Suttung,  that  he  sent  some 
of  the  mead  after  him  backwards,  and  as  no  care  was 
taken  of  this  it  fell  to  the  share  of  poetasters.  It  is 
called  the  drink  of  silly  poets.  But  the  mead  discharged 
into  the  jars  was  kept  for  the  gods  and  for  those  men 
who  have  sufficient  wit  to  make  a  right  use  of  it.  Hence 
poetry  is  called  Odin's  booty,  Odin's  gift,  the  beverage 
of  the  gods,  etc. 

But  let  us  look  at  this  myth  in  its  older  and  purer 
form.     Thus  the  Elder  Edda,  in  Havamal : 

Oblivion'a  heron  't  is  called 
That  over  potations  hovers ; 
He  steals  the  minds  of  men. 
With  this  bird's  pinions 
I  was  fettered 
In  Gunlad's  dwelling. 

Drunk  I  was, 

I  was  over-drunk 

At  that  cunning  Fjalar's. 

It 's  the  best  drunkenness 

When  every  one  after  it 

Regains  his  reason. 

This  passage  then  refers  to  the  effects  of  the  strong 
drink  of  poetry,  and  Odin  recommends  us  to  use  it  witli 
moderation.  Would  it  not  be  well  for  some  of  our  poets 
to  heed  the  advice  ? 


GUXLAD  —  THE    OillUIN    OF    POETRY.  251 

Thus  Havamal  again : 

The  old  giant*  I  sought ; 
Now  I  am  come  back  ; 
Little  got  I  there  by  silence; 
In  many  words 
I  spoke  to  my  advantage 
In  Suttung's  halls. 

Gunlad  gave  me, 

On  her  golden  seat, 

A  draught  of  the  precious  mead ; 

A  bad  recompense 

I  afterwards  made  her. 

For  her  whole   soul, 

Her  fervent  love. 

Rate's  mouth  I  caused 
To  make  a  space. 
And  to  gnaw  the  rock  ; 
Over  and  under  me 
Were  the  giant's  ways : 
Thus  I  my  head  did  peril. 

Of  a  well-assumed  form 

I  made  good  use  : 

Few  things  fail  the  wise  ; 

For  Odrcerer 

Is  now  come  up 

To  men's  earthly  dwellings. 

'Tis  to  me  doubtful 
That  I  could  have  come 
From  the  giant's  courts 
Had  not  Gunlad  aided  ni:- 
That  good  damsel 
Over  whom  I  laid  my  arm. 

On  the  day  following 
Came  the  frost-giants 

*  Suttung. 


252  GUNLAD  —  THE    ORIGIN    OF   POETRY. 

To  learn  something  of  tlie  High  One. 
In  the  High  One's  hall : 
After  Bolverk  they  inquired 
Whether  he  with  the  gods  were  come, 
Or  Suttung  had  destroyed  him. 

Odin,  I  believe, 

A  ring-oath  gave. 

Who  in  his  faith  will  trust? 

Suttung  defrauded. 

Of  his  drink  bereft. 

And  Gunlad  made  to  weep. 

It  is  a  beautiful  idea  that  Odin  creeps  into  Suttung's 
hall  as  a  serpent,  but  when  he  has  drunk  the  mead  of 
poetry,  when  he  has  become  inspired,  he  soars  away  on 
eagles'  pinions. 

Odin's  name,  Bolverk,  may  mean  the  one  working  evil, 
which  might  be  said  of  him  in  relation  to  the  giants, 
or  the  one  who  accomplishes  difficult  things,  which  then 
would  impersonate  the  difficulty  in  mastering  the  art  of 
poetry.  Without  a  severe  struggle  no  one  can  gain  a 
victory  in  the  art  of  poetry,  and  least  of  all  in  the  Old 
Norse  language.  Gunlad  (from  gunnr,  struggle,  and 
la(Sa,  to  invite)  invites  Odin  to  this  struggle.  She  sits 
well  fortified  in  the  abode  of  the  giant.  She  is  sur- 
rounded by  stone  walls.  The  cup  in  which  was  the  mead 
is  called  Odroerer  {od-rcerer,  that  which  moves  the  spirit); 
that  is,  the  cup  of  inspiration ;  and  the  myth  is  as  clear 
as  these  names.  Kvaser  is  the  fruit  of  which  the  juice 
is  pressed  and  mixed  with  honey ;  it  produces  the  in- 
spiring drink.  It  is  also  pertinently  said  that  Kvaser 
perishes  in  his  own  wisdom.  Does  not  the  fruit  burst 
from  its  superabundance  of  juice?  But  do  not  take  only 
the  outside  skin  of  this  myth  ;  press  the  ethical  juice 
out  of  it. 


SAGA.  253 

It  should  be  noticed  here  that  Kvaser  (the  spit,  the 
ripe  fruit)  is  produced  by  a  union  of  asas  and  vans,  an 
intimate  union  of  the  solid  and  liquid  elements. 

This  myth  also  illustrates  the  wide  difference  between 
the  Elder  and  the  Younger  Edda.  How  much  purer  and 
poetic  in  the  former  than  in  the  latter !  Ex  ipso  fonte 
dulcius  hihuntur  aqucB.  In  the  Elder  Edda  is  water  in 
which  it  is  worth  our  while  to  fish. 

SECTION    XIV.      SAGA. 

Odin  is  not  only  the  inventor  of  poetry,  he  also 
favors  and  protects  history.  Saga.     The  Elder  Edda : 

Sokvabek  liiglit  the  fourth  dwelling, 
Over  it  flow  the  cool-billows; 
Glad  drink  there  Odin  and  Saga 
Every  day  from  golden  cups. 

The   charming   influence  of  history  could  not   be  more 
beautifully  described. 

Sokvabek  is  the  brook  of  the  deep.  From  the  deep 
arise  the  thoughts  and  roll  as  cool  refreshing  waves 
through  golden  words.  Saga  can  tell,  Odin  can  think, 
about  it.  Thus  they  sit  together  day  after  day  and  night 
after  night  and  refresh  their  minds  from  the  fountain  of 
history.  Saga  is  the  second  of  the  goddesses.  She  dwells 
at  Sokvabek,  a  very  large  and  stately  abode.  The 
stream  of  history  is  large,  it  is  broad  and  deep.  Saga  is 
from  the  word  meaning  to  say.  In  Greece  Klio  was  one 
of  the  muses,  but  in  Norseland  Saga  is  alone,  united 
with  Odin,  the  father  of  heroic  deeds.  Her  favor  is  the 
hope  of  the  youth  and  the  delight  of  the  old  man. 


354  ODIN   AS   THE    INVENTOR   OF    RUNES. 

SECTION    XV.      ODIN    AS   THE    INVENTOR   OF    RUNES. 

The  original  meaning  of  the  word  rune  is  secret, 
and  it  was  used  to  signify  a  mysterious  song,  mysteri- 
ous doctrine,  mysterious  speech,  and  mysterious  writing. 
Our  ancestors  had  an  alpliabet  called  runes,  before  they 
learned  the  so-called  Eoman  characters.  The  runic  stave- 
row  was  a  futhorc  (/,  u,  th,  o,  r,  k),  not  an  alphabet 
{A,  B)  as  in  Greek  or  Latin.  But  what  does  it  mean 
mythologically,  that  Odin  is  the  inventor  of  the  runes? 
Odin  himself  says  in  his  famous  Eune-song  in  the  Elder 
Edda: 

I  know  that  I  hung 
On  a  wind-rocked  tree* 
Nine  whole  nights. 
With  a  spear  wounded 
And  to  Odin  offered. 
Myself  to  myself ; 
On  that  tree 
Of  which  no  one  knows 
From  what  root  it  springs. 

Bread  no  one  gave  me 
Nor  a  horn  of  drink. 
Downward  I  peered, 
To  runes  applied  myself 
Wailing  learnt  them, 
Then  fell  down  thence. 

Potent  songs  nine 

From  the  famed  son  I  learned 

Of  Bolthorn,  Bestla's  father. 

And  a  draught  obtained 

Of  the  precious  mead, 

Drawn  from  Odrcerer. 

Then  I  began  to  bear  fruit 
And  to  know  many  things, 
♦Ygdrasil. 


ODIN    AS   THE    INVENTOR    OF    EUNES.  255 

To  grow  and  well  tlirive : 

Word  by  word 

I  sought  out  words. 

Fact  by  fact 

I  sought  out  facts. 

Eunes  thou  wilt  find 

And  explained  characters, 

Very  large  characters, 

Very  potent  characters, 

Which  the  great  speaker  depicted 

And  the  high  powers  formed 

And  the  powers'  prince  graved. 

Odin  among  the  asas. 
But  among  the  elves,  Daain ; 
Odin  as  inventor  of  runes 
And  Dvalin  for  the  dwarfs  ; 
Aasvid  for  the  giants  runes  risted. 
Some  I  myself  risted. 

Knowest  thou  how  to  rist  them  ? 
Knowest  thou  how  to  expound  thi  ;ii  ? 
Knowest  thou  how  to  depict  them  '! 
Knowest  thou  how  to  prove  them? 
Knowest  thou  how  to  pray? 
Knowest  thou  how  to  offer? 
Knowest  thou  how  to  send  ? 
Knowest  thou  how  to  consume  V 

'T  is  better  not  to  pray 

Than  too  much  offer ; 

A  gift  ever  looks  to  a  return. 

'T  is  better  not  to  send 

Than  too  much  consume. 

So  Thund  risted 

Before  the  origin  of   men. 

There  he  ascended 

Where  lie  afterwards  came. 

Those  songs  I  know 

Which  the  king's  wife  knows  not, 


25f)  ODIN"   AS   THE    INVENTOR   OF    RUNES. 

Nor  son  of  man. 
Help  tlie  first  is  called, 
For  that  will  help  tliee 
Against  strifes  and  cares. 

For  the  second  I  know. 
What  the  sons  of  men  require 
Who  will  as  leeches  live. 

For  the  third  I  know. 

If  I  have  great  need 

To  restrain  my  foes. 

The  weapon's  edge  I  deaden  : 

Of  my  adversaries 

Nor  arms  nor  wiles  harm  aught. 

For  the  fourth  I  know. 

If  men  place 

Bonds  on  my  limbs, 

I  so  sing 

That  I  can  walk  ; 

The  fetter  starts  from  my  feet 

And  the  manacle  from  my  hands. 

For  the  fifth  I  know, 

I  see  a  shot  from  a  hostile  hand, 

A  shaft  flying  amid  the  host, 

So  swift  it  cannot  fly, 

That  I  cannot  arrest  it, 

If  only  I  get  sight  of  it. 

For  the  sixth  I  know. 

If  one  wounds  me 

With  a  green  tree's  root,* 

Also  if  a  man 

Declares  hatred  to  me. 

Harm  shall  consume  them  sooner  than  me. 

For  the  seventh  I  know. 
If  a  lofty  house  I  see 

*  Roots   of   trees  were  especially  fitted  for  hurtful  troUdom  (witchcraft). 
They  produced  mortal  wounds. 


ODIN   AS   THE    INVENTOR    OF    RUNES.  257 

Blaze  o'er  its  inmates, 
So  furiously  it  shall  not  burn 
That  I  cannot  save  it ; 
That  song  I  can  sing. 

For  the  eighth  I  know, 
What  to  all  is 
Useful  to  learn ; 
Where  hatred  grows 
Among  the  sons  of  men  — 
That  I  can  quickly  assuage. 

For  the  ninth  I  know, 

If  I  stand  in  need 

My  bark  on  the  water  to  save, 

I  can  the  wind 

On  the  waves  allay. 

And  the  sea  lull. 

For  the  tenth  I  know. 
If  I  see  troll-wives 
Sporting  in  air, 
I  can  so  operate 
That  they  will  forsake 
Their  own  forms 
And  their  own  minds. 

For  the  eleventh  I  know. 

If  I  have  to  lead 

My  ancient  friends  to  battle. 

Under  their  shields  I  sing. 

And  with  power  they  go 

Safe  to  the  fight, 

Safe  from  the  fight ; 

Safe  on  every  side  they  go. 

For  the  twelfth  I  know. 

If  on  a  tree  I  see 

A  corpse  swinging  from  a  halter, 

I  can  so  rist 

And  in  runes  depict, 

That  the  man  shall  walk, 

And  with  me  converse. 


22 


258  ODIN    AS   THE    INVENTOK   OF    RUNES. 

For  the  thirteenth  I  know. 

If  on  a  young  man 

I  sprinkle  water* 

He  shall  not  fall, 

Though  he  into  battle  come : 

That  man  shall  not  sink  before  swords. 

For  the  fourteenth  I  know. 

If  in  the  society  of  men 

I  have  to  enumerate  the  gods, 

Asas  and  elves, 

I  know  the  distinctions  of  all. 

This  few  unskilled  can  do. 

For  the  fifteenth  I  know. 

What  the  dwarf  of  Thodroererf  sang 

Before  Ceiling's  doors. 

Strength  he  sang  to  the  asas. 

And  to  the  elves  prosperity. 

Wisdom  to  Hroptatyr  (Odin). 

For  the  sixteenth  I  know, 

If  a  modest  maiden's  favor  and  affection 

I  desire  to  possess. 

The  soul  I  change 

Of  the  white-armed  damsel. 

And  wholly  turn  her  mind. 

For  the  seventeenth  I  know. 

That  that  young  maiden  will 

Reluctantly  avoid  me. 

These  songs,  Lodfafner, 

Thou  wilt  long  have  lacked  ; 

Yet  it  may  be  good,  if  thou  understandest  them, 

Profitable  if  thou  learnest  them. 

For  the  eighteenth  I  know. 
That  which  I  never  teach 
To  maid  or  wife  of  man, 

*  The  old  heathen  Norsemen  sprinkled  their  children  with  water  when 
they  named  them. 

+  The  waker  of  the  people. 


ODIN    AS   THE    INVENTOR   OF   RUNES.  259 

(All  is  better 

What  one  only  knows : 

This  is  tlie  closing  of  the  songs) 

Save  her  alone 

Who  clasps  me  in  her  arms, 

Or  is  my  sister. 

Now  are  sung  the 

Hiffh  One's  songs 

In  the  High  One's  hall, 

To  the  sons  of  men  all  useful, 

But  useless  to  the  giants'  sons. 

Hail  to  him  who  has  sung  them  ! 

Hail  to  him  who  knows  them ! 

May  he  profit  who  has  learnt  them ! 

Hail  to  those  who  have  listened  to  them  ! 

Odin's  sister  or  wife  is,  as  we  have  seen,  Frigg,  the 
earth,  and  there  is  much  between  heaven  and  earth  of 
which  the  wisest  men  do  not  even  dream,  much  that  the 
profoundest  philosophy  is  unable  to  unravel,  and  this  is 
what  Odin  never  teaches  to  maid  or  wife  of  man. 

The  runes  of  Odin  were  risted  on  the  shield  which 
stands  before  the  shining  god,  on  the  ear  of  Aarvak  (the 
ever-wakeful),  and  on  the  hoof  of  Alsvin  ;  on  the  wheels 
that  roll  under  Rogner's  chariot,  on  Sleipner's  reins,  on 
the  paw  of  the  bear  and  on  the  tongue  of  Brage ;  on  the 
claws  of  the  wolf,  on  the  beak  of  the  eagle,  on  bloody- 
wings  and  on  the  end  of  the  bridge  (the  rainbow) ;  on 
glass,  on  gold,  on  wine  and  on  herb ;  on  Vile's  heart,  on 
the  point  of  Gungner  (Odin's  spear),  on  Grane's  breast, 
on  the  nails  of  the  norn  and  on  the  beak  of  the  owl. 
All,  that  were  carved,  were  afterwards  scraped  off,  mixed 
with  the  holy  mead  and  sent  out  into  all  parts  of  the 
world.  Some  are  with  the  asas,  some  with  the  elves, 
and  some  are  with  the  sons  of  men. 

All  this  and  even  more  that  is  omitted  we  find  in  the 


200  ODIN   AS   THE    INVENTOR    OF    RUNES. 

Elder  Edda.  What  are  Odin's  runes  ?  What  but  a  new 
expression  of  his  being?  Odin's  runes  represent  the 
might  and  wisdom  with  which  he  rules  all  nature,  even 
its  most  secret  phenomena.  Odin,  as  master  of  runes,  is 
^he  spirit  that  subdues  and  controls  physical  nature.  He 
governs  inanimate  nature,  the  wind,  the  sea,  the  fire,  and 
the  mind  of  man,  the  hate  of  the  enemy  and  the  love  of 
woman.  Everything  submits  to  his  mighty  sway,  and 
thus  the  runes  were  risted  on  all  possible  things  in  heaven 
and  on  earth.  He  is  the  spirit  of  the  world,  that  per- 
vades everything,  the  almighty  creator  of  heaven  and 
earth,  or,  to  use  a  more  mythological  expression,  the 
father  of  gods  and  men. 

Odin  hung  nine  days  on  the  tree  (Ygdrasil)  and  sac- 
rificed himself  to  himself,  and  wounded  himself  with  his 
own  spear.  This  has  been  interpreted  to  mean  the  nine 
months  in  which  the  child  is  developed  in  its  mother's 
womb.  Turn  back  and  read  the  first  strophes  carefully, 
and  it  will  be  found  that  there  is  some  sense  in  this  inter- 
pretation ;  but,  kind  reader,  did  you  ever  try  to  subdue 
and  penetrate  into  the  secrets  of  matter  with  your  mind  ? 
Do  you  know  that  knowledge  cannot  be  acquired  with- 
out labor,  without  struggle,  without  sacrifice,  without 
solemn  consecration  of  one's  self  to  an  idea?  Do  yoii 
remember  that  Odin  gave  his  eye  m  pawn  for  a  drink 
from  Mimer's  fountain  ?  The  spear  with  which  he  now 
wounds  himself  shows  how  solemnly  he  consecrates 
himself.  For  the  sake  of  this  struggle  to  acquire  knowl- 
edge, the  spirit  offers  itself  to  itself.  It  knows  what  hard- 
ships and  sufferings  must  be  encountered  on  the  road  to 
knowledge,  but  it  bravely  faces  these  obstacles,  it  wants 
to  wrestle  with  them ;  that  is  its  greatness,  its  glory,  its 
power.  Nine  nights  Odin  hangs  on  the  tree.  Eome  was 
not  built  in  a  day.     Tantm  moUs  erat  Rommias  condere 


VALHAL.  3G1 

gentes !  Neither  is  knowledge  acquired  in  a  day.  The 
mind  is  developed  by  a  slow  process.  He  neither  eats 
nor  drinks,  he  fasts.  You  must  also  curb  your  bodily 
appetites,  and,  like  Odin,  look  down  into  the  depths  and 
penetrate  the  mysteries  of  nature  with  your  mind.  Then 
will  you  learn  all  those  wonderful  songs  that  Odin 
learned  crying  before  he  fell  from  the  tree. 

Odin  is  the  author  of  the  runic  incantations  that 
played  so  conspicuous  a  part  in  the  social  and  religious 
life  of  the  Norseman.  The  belief  in  sorcery  {galdr  and 
sev^r)  was  universal  among  the  heathen  Norsemen,  and 
it  had  its  origin  in  the  mythology,  which  represents  the 
magic  arts  as  an  invention  of  Odin. 

SECTION"    XVI.      VALHAL. 

Thus  the  Elder  Edda,  in  the  lay  of  Grimner: 

Gladsheim  is  named  the  fifth  dwelling ; 

There  the  golden-bright 

Vallial  stands  spacious ; 

There  Hropt*  selects 

Each  day  those  men 

Who  die  by  weapons. 

Easily  to  be  known  is. 

By  those  who  to  Odin  come, 

The  mansion  by  its  aspect. 

Its  roof  with  spears  is  laid. 

Its  hall  with  shields  is  decked. 

With  corselets  are  its  benches  strewed. 

Easily  to  be  known  is, 

By  those  who  to  Odin  come, 

The  mansion  by  its  aspect. 

A  wolf  hangs 

Before  the  western  door, 

Over  it  an  eagle  hovers. 

*0din. 


2G2  VALHAL. 

Odin  was  preeminently  the  god  of  war.  He  who 
fell  in  battle  came  after  death  to  Odin  in  Valhal.  There 
he  began  the  battle  anew,  fell  and  arose  again.  Glorious 
was  the  life  in  Valhal. 

The  hull  was  called  Valhal,  that  is,  the  hall  of  the 
slain ;  Odin  was  called  Valfather  (father  of  the  slain), 
and  the  maids  he  sent  out  to  choose  the  fallen  heroes 
on  the  field  of  battle  were  called  valkyries.  Valhal 
must  not,  as  before  stated,  be  confused  with  the  silver- 
roofed  valaskjalf. 

The  heroes  who  came  to  Valhal  were  called  einherjes, 
from  ein  and  herja,  which  together  mean  the  excellent 
warrior,  and  we  find  that  Odin  was  also  called  Herja- 
father  (father  of  heroes). 

Valhal  is  situated  in  Gladsheim.  It  is  large  and 
resplendent  with  gold;  spears  support  its  ceiling,  it  is 
roofed  with  shields,  and  coats  of  mail  adorn  its  benches. 
Swords  serve  the  purpose  of  fire,  and  of  its  immense  size 
we  can  form  some  idea  when  we  read  in  the  Elder  Edda 
that 

Five  hundred  doors 

And  forty  more 

Metliinks  are  in  Valhal ; 

Eight  hundred  heroes  through  each  door 

Shall  issue  forth 

Against  the  wolf  to  combat. 

Outside  of  Valhal  stands  the  shining  grove  Glaser. 
All  its  leaves  are  red  gold,  whence  gold  is  frequently 
called  Glaser's  leaves. 

What  does  Odin  give  all  his  guests  to  eat  ?  If  all 
the  men  who  have  fallen  in  fight  since  the  beginning  of 
the  world  are  gone  to  Odin  in  Valhal,  there  must  be  a 
great  crowd  there.  Yes,  the  crowd  there  is  indeed  great, 
but  great  though  it  be,  it  will  still  be  thought  too  little 


VALHAL.  263 

when  the  wolf  comes  (the  end  of  the  world).  But 
however  great  the  band  of  men  in  Valhal  may  be,  the 
flesh  of  the  boar  SaBhrimner  will  more  than  suffice  for 
their  sustenance.  This  boar  is  cooked  every  morning, 
but  becomes  whole  again  every  night.  The  cook  is  called 
Andhrimner  and  the  kettle  Eldhrimner.  Thus  the  Elder 
Edda: 

Andhrimner  cooks 

In  Eldlirimner 

Sselirimner ; 

'T  is  the  best  of  flesh ; 

But  few  know 

What  the  eiuherjes  eat. 

What  do  the  guests  of  Odin  drink  ?  Do  you  imagine 
that  Allfather  would  invite  kings  and  jarls  and  other 
great  men  and  give  them  nothing  but  water  to  drink  ? 
In  that  case  many  of  those,  who  had  endured  the 
greatest  hardships  and  received  deadly  wounds  in  order 
to  obtain  access  to  Valhal,  would  find  that  they  had  paid 
too  great  a  price  for  their  water  drink,  and  would  indeed 
have  reason  to  complain  were  they  there  to  meet  with 
no  better  entertainment.  But  we  shall  see  that  the  case 
is  quite  otherwise;  for  the  she-goat  Heidrun  (the  clear 
stream)  stands  above  Valhal  and  feeds  on  the  leaves  of 
a  very  famous  tree.  This  tree  is  called  Lerad  (affording 
protection),  and  from  the  teats  of  the  she-goat  flows 
mead  in  such  great  abundance  that  every  day  a  bowl, 
large  enough  to  hold  more  than  would  suffice  for  all 
the  heroes,  is  filled  with  it.  And  still  more  wonderful 
is  what  is  told  of  the  stag,  Eikthyrner  (the  oak-thorned, 
having  knotty  horns),  which  also  stands  over  Valhal  and 
feeds  upon  the  leaves  of  the  same  tree,  and  while  he  is 
feeding  so  many  drops  fall  from  his  antlers  down  into 
Hvergelmer  that   they  furnish   sufficient  water  for  the 


/ 


264  VALHAL. 

thirty-six  rivers  that  issuing  thence  flow  twelve  to  the 
abodes  of  the  gods,  twelve  to  the  abodes  of  men,  and 
twelve  to  IS^iflheim. 

Ah !  our  ancestors  were  uncultivated  barbarians,  and 
that  is  proved  by  the  life  in  Valhal,  where  the  heroes 
ate  pork  and  drank  mead!  But  what  are  we,  then,  who 
do  the  same  thing  ?  Let  us  look  a  little  more  carefully 
at  the  words  they  used.  Food  they  called  flesh,  and 
drink,  mead, —  expressions  taken  from  life;  but  they 
connected  an  infinitely  higher  idea  with  the  heavenly 
nourishment.  Although  but  few  know  what  the  ein- 
herjes  eat,  we  ought  to  know  it.  When  we  hear  the 
word  ambrosia,  we  think  of  a  very  fine  nourishment, 
although  we  do  not  know  what  it  was.  In  the  Iliad 
(14,  170),  it  is  used  of  pure  water.  The  words  used  in 
the  Norse  mythology  m  reference  to  the  food  and  drink 
of  the  gods  are  very  simple,  And-hrimner,  Eld-hrimner, 
and  Sae-hrimner.  Hrim  (rime)  is  the  first  and  most 
delicate  transition  from  a  liquid  to  a  solid;  hrimner  is 
the  one  producing  this  transition.  The  food  was  formed, 
as  the  words  clearly  show,  by  air  {and,  ond,  aande, 
breath),  by  fire  {eld),  and  by  water  {see,  sea).  We  have 
.  here  the  most  delicate  formation  of  the  most  delicate 
elements.  There  is  nothing  earthly  in  it.  The  funda- 
mental element  is  water  boiled  by  the  fire,  which  is 
nourished  by  the  air ;  and  the  drink  is  the  clear  stream, 
which  flows  from  the  highest  abodes  of  heaven,  the  pure 
ethereal  current,  which  comes  from  the  distant  regions 
where  the  winds  are  silent.  Nay,  we  cannot  even  call  it 
a  drink,  but  it  is  the  purest  and  most  delicate  breath  of 
the  air,  that  fills  the  lungs  of  the  immortal  heroes  in 
Valhal. 

A  mighty  band  of  men  there  is  in  Valhal,  and  Odin 
must   indeed  be  a  great  chieftain  to  command   such  a 


THE   VALKYRIES.  265 

numerous  host;  but  how  do  the  heroes  pass  their  time 
when  they  are  not  drinking?  Answer:  Everyday,  as 
soon  as  they  have  dressed  themselves,  they  ride  out  into 
the  court,  and  there  fight  until  they  cut  each  other  into 
pieces.  This  is  their  pastime.  But  when  meal-time  ap- 
proaches, they  remount  their  steeds  and  return  to  drink 
mead  from  the  skulls  of  their  enemies*  in  Valhal.  Thus 
the  Elder  Edda: 

The  einherjes  all 

On  Odin's  plain 

Hew  daily  each  other, 

While  chosen  the  slain  are. 

From  the  battle-field  they  ride 

And  sit  in  peace  with  each  other. 

SECTION    XVII.      THE   VALKYRIES    ( VALKYRJUR). 

As  the  god  of  war,  Odin  sends  out  his  maids  to  choose 
the  fallen  heroes  {kjosa  val).  They  are  called  valkyries 
and  valmaids  {valmeyar).  The  valkyries  serve  in  Valhal, 
where  they  bear  in  the  drink,  take  care  of  the  drinking- 
horns,  and  wait  upon  the  table.  Odin  sends  them  to 
every  field  of  battle,  to  make  choice  of  those  who  are  to 
be  slain  and  to  sway  the  victory.  The  youngest  of  the 
norns,  Skuld,  also  rides  forth  to  choose  the  slain  and 
turn  the  combat.  More  than  a  dozen  valkyries  are 
named  in  the  Elder  Edda,  and  all  these  have  reference 
to  the  activities  of  war. 

This  myth  about  Odin  as  the  god  of  war,  about  Val- 
hal and  the  valkyries,  exercised  a  great   influence  upon 

*  If  the  Noj-tJi  American  Review,  or  anybody  else,  thinks  this  is  proof  of 
barbarii^m.  we  can  refer  them  to  the  monks  in  Trier,  who  preserved  the  skull 
of  Saint  Theodulf  and  gave  sick  people  drink  from  it;  and  we  know  several 
other  such  instances.  Our  Norse  ancestors  were  not,  then,  in  this  respect  any 
more  savage  than  the  Christian  bishops  and  monks.  See  iVwY/t  A7nerican 
Review,  January,  1875,  p.  195. 

2:^ 


266  THE   VALKYRIES. 

the  mind  and  character  of  our  ancestors.  The  dying 
hero  knows  that  the  valkyries  have  been  sent  after  him 
to  invite  him  home  to  Odin's  hall,  and  he  receives  their 
message  with  joy  and  gladness.  That  the  brave  were 
to^  be  taken  after  death  to  Valhal  was  one  of  the  funda- 

•roental  points,  if  not  the  soul,  of  the  Norse  religion.* 
The  Norsemen  felt  in  their  hearts  that  it  was  absolutely 
necessary  to  be  brave.  Odin  would  not  care  for  them, 
but  despise  and  thrust  them  away  from  him,  if  they  were 
not  brave.    And  is  there  not  some  truth  m  this  doctrine? 

^^it  not  still  a  preeminent  duty  to  be  brave?  Is  it  not 
the  first  duty  of  man  to  subdue  fear  ?  What  can  we 
accomplish  until  we  have  got  rid  of  fear?  A  man  is 
a  slave,  a  coward,  his  very  thoughts  are  false,  until  he 
has  got  fear  under  his  feet.  Thus  we  find  that  the 
Odinic  doctrine,  if  we  disentangle  the  real  kernel  and 
essence  of  it,  is  true  even  in  our  times.  A  man  must 
be  valiant  —  he  must  march  forward  and  acquit  himself 
like  a  man.     How  much  of  a  man  he  is  will  be  deter- 

j^iued  in  most  cases  by  the  completeness  of  his  victory 
over  fear.  Their  views  of  Odin,  Valhal  and  the  valky- 
ries made  the  Norsemen  think  it  a  shame  and  misery 
not  to  die  in  battle ;  and  if  natural  death  seemed  to  be 
coming  on,  they  would  cut  wounds  in  their  flesh, 
that  Odin  might  receive  them  as  warriors  slain.  Old 
kings,  about  to  die,  had  their  bodies  laid  in  a  ship ; 
the  ship  was  sent  forth  with  sails  set,  and  a  slow  fire 
burning  it,  so  that  once  out  at  sea  it  might  blaze  up 
in  flame,  and  in  such  manner  bury  worthily  the  hero 
both  in   the  sky  and  in   the  ocean.      The  Norse  viking 

/fought  with  an  indomitable,  rugged  energy.      He  stood 

'  in  the  prow  of  his  ship,  silent,  with  closed  lips,  defying 

the    wild    ocean    with    its    monsters,    and    all    men    and 

*  See  Tliomas  Carlyle's  Heroes  and  Hero-worship. 


THE   VALKYKIES.  267 

things.  No  Homer  sang  of  these  Norse  warriors  and 
sea-kings,  but  their  heroic  deeds  and  wild  deaths  are 
the  ever-recurring  theme  of  the  skalds. 

The  death  of  the  Norse  viking  is  beautifully  de- 
scribed in  the  following  strophe  from  Professor  Hjalmar 
Hjorth  Boyesen's  poem,  entitled  Odin's  Ravens: 

In  the  prow  with  head  uplifted 

Stood  the  chief  like  wrathful  Thor ; 

Through  his  locks  the  snow-flakes  drifted 

Bleached  their  hue  from  gold  to  hoar. 

Mid  the  crash  of  mast  and  rafter 

Norsemen  leaped  through  death  with  laughter 

Up  through  Valhal's  wide-flung  door. 

Ecgner  Lodbrok  thus  ends  his  famous  song,  the 
Krakumal : 

Cease,  my  strain !     I  hear  a  voice 
From  realms  where  martial  souls  rejoice; 
I  hear  the  maids  of  slaughter  call, 
Who  bid  me  hence  to  Odin's  hall : 
High-seated  in  their  blest  abodes 
I  soon  shall  quaff"  the  drink  of  gods. 
The  hours  of  life  have  glided  by, 
I  fall,  but  smiling  shall  I  die. 

And  in  the  death-song  of  Hakon  {HakonarmdT)  we  find 
the  Valkyries  Gondul  and  Skogul  in  the  heat  of  battle : 

The  god  Tyr  sent 
Gondul  and  Skogul 
To  choose  a  king 
Of  the  race  of  Ingve, 
To  dwell  with  Odin 
In  roomy  Valhal. 

The  battle  being  described,  the  skiild  continues: 

When  lo !  Gondul, 
Pointing  with  her  spear, 
Said  to  her  sister, 


268  THE    VALKYRIES. 

Soon  shall  increase 
Tlie  band  of  the  gods: 
To  Odin's  feast 
Hakon  is  bidden. 

The  king  beheld 

The  beautiful  maids 

Sitting  on  their  horses 

In  shining  armor. 

Their  shields  before  them. 

Solemnly  thoughtful. 

The  king  heard 
The  words  of  their  lips. 
Saw  them  beckon 
With  pale  hands. 
And  thus  besjjake  them: 
Mighty  goddesses, 
Were  we  not  worthy 
You  should  choose  us 
A  better  doom  V 

Skogul  answered : 
Thy  foes  have  fallen. 
Thy  land  is  free, 
Thy  fame  is  pure ; 
Now  we  must  ride 
To  greener  worlds. 
To  tell  Odin 
That  Hakon  comes. 

An  interpretation  of  the  valkyries  is  not  necessary. 
The  god  of  war  sends  his  tlioughts  and  his  will  to  the 
carnage  of  the  battle-field  in  the  form  of  mighty  armed 
women,  in  the  same  manner  as  he  sends  his  ravens  over 
all  the  earth. 

Ethically  considered,  then,  Odin  symbolizes  the 
matchless  hope  of  victory  that  inspired  the  Norsemen, 
and  from  which  their  daring  exploits  sprang;  and  we 
know  that  this  hope  of  victory  did  not  leave  the  hero 


THE   VALKYRIES.  3G9 

when  he  fell  bleeding  on  the  field  of  battle,  but  followed 
him  borne  in  valkyrian  arms  to  Valhal,  and  thence  he 
soared  on  eagle  pinions  to  Gimle  on  the  everlasting 
hights. 


CHAPTER  II. 


HERMOD,  TYR,  HEIMDAL,  BRAGE,  AND  IDUN. 

SECTION    I.     HERMOD. 

O DUST'S  sons  are  emanatious  of  bis  own  being.  As 
tbe  god  of  war,  warbke  valor  is  one  of  liis  servants, 
and  bonor  anotber.  He  invents  tbe  art  of  poetry,  but  tbe 
execution  of  it  be  leaves  to  bis  son  Brage.  He  does  not 
meddle  with  tbunder,  baving  left  tbis  work  of  a  lower 
order  to  bis  sou  Tbor.  He  is  the  father  of  light  and 
darkness,  and  he  leaves  tbe  beneficent  light  to  diffuse 
itself  and  struggle  with  darkness  independently  (Balder 
and  Hoder).  Nor  does  be  himself  watch  the  rainbow, 
but  lets  the  watchful  Heimdal  take  care  of  it. 

Hermod  (the  valiant  in  combat)  was  tbe  son  of  Odin 
and  the  messenger  of  the  gods.  Odin  himself  gave  him 
helmet  and  corselet,  tbe  means  by  which  to  display  bis 
warlike  character,  and  he  is  sent  on  all  dangerous  mis- 
sions. Of  bis  many  exploits  tbe  most  important  one  is 
when  be  was  sent  on  Sleipner  to  Hel  to  bring  Balder 
back.  It  was  Hermod  and  Brage  who  were  sent  to  bid 
Hakon,  tbe  king,  welcome,  when  he   arrived  at  Valhal. 

SECTION   II.     TYR. 

Tyr's  name  is  preserved  in  Tuesday.  He  is  the  god 
of  martial  honor  (compare  tbe  German  Zier).  Tyr  is 
the  most  daring  and  intrepid  of  all  tbe  gods.  It  is  he 
who  dispenses  valor  in  war;    hence  warriors  do  well  to 

(270) 


HEIMDAL.  271 

invoke  him.  It  lias  become  proverbial  to  say  of  a  man 
who  surpasses  all  others  in  valor,  that  he  is  Tyr-strong,^ 
or  valiant  as  Tyr.  A  man  noted  for  his  wisdom  is  also 
said  to  be  wise  as  Tyr.  He  gives  a  splendid  proof  of 
his  intrepidity  when  the  gods  try  to  persuade  the  wolf 
Fenrer,  as  we  shall  see  hereafter,  to  let  himself  be 
bound  up  with  the  chain  Gleipner.  The  wolf  fearing 
that  the  gods  Avould  never  afterwards  unloose  him,  con- 
sented to  be  bound  only  on  the  condition  that  while 
they  were  chaining  him  he  should  keep  Tyr's  hand 
between  his  jaws.  Tyr  did  not  hesitate  to  put  his  hand 
in  the  monster's  mouth,  but  when  the  Fenriswolf  per- 
ceived that  the  gods  had  no  intention  to  unchain  him, 
he  bit  the  hand  off  at  that  point  which  has  ever  since 
been  called  the  wolf's  joint  {I'dflr^v),  the  wrist.  From 
that  time  Tyr  has  but  one  hand. 

Tyr  is  the  son  of  Odin,  and  it  is  through  him  the 
latter,  as  the  god  of  war,  awakens  wild  courage.  Thus 
he  is  the  god  of  honor,  and  when  the  noble  gods  desire 
to  tame  the  raging  flames  he  naturally  has  to  arouse  all 
his  courage  and  even  sacrifice  a  part  of  himself,  just  as 
we  frequently  have  to  sacrifice  some  of  our  comforts  to 
keep  clear  of  rogues  and  scoundrels. 

SECTION   III.      HEIMDAL    (HEIMDALLR). 

Heimdal  is  the  son  of  Odin,  and  is  called  the  white 
god  {livif/i  ciss,  the  pure,  innocent  god).  He  is  the  son 
of  nine  virgins,  who  were  sisters,  and  is  a  very  sacred 
and  powerful  deity.     Thus  he  says  in  the  Elder  Edda: 

Born  was  I  of  motliers  nine. 
Son  I  am  of  sisters  nine. 

He  also  bears  the  appellation  of  the  gold-toothed,  for  his 
teeth  were  of  pure  gold,  and  the  appellation  Hallinskide 


273  HEIMDAL. 

{Jiallinshv6i,  the  owner  of  the  vaulted  arch).  His  horse 
is  called  Gulltop  [goldto])),  and  he  dwells  in  Himminbjorg, 
the  mountains  of  heaven,  at  the  end  of  Bifrost,  the  rain- 
bow. He  is  the  warder  of  the  gods,  and  is  therefore 
placed  on  the  borders  of  heaven  to  prevent  the  giants 
from  forcing  their  way  over  the  bridge.  He  requires  less 
sleep  than  a  bird  and  sees  by  night  as  well  as  by  day  a 
hundred  miles  around  him.  So  acute  is  his  ear  that  no  . 
sound  escapes  him,  for  he  can  even  hear  the  grass  grow- 
ing on  the  earth  and  the  wool  on  a  sheei)'s  back.  He 
has  a  horn  called  Gjallar-horn,  which  is  heard  through- 
out the  universe.  Thus  the  Elder  Edda,  in  the  lay  of 
Grimner : 

'Tis  Himminbjorg  called 
Where  Heimdal  tliey  say- 
Hath  dwelling  and  rule. 
There  the  gods'  warder  drinks 
In  peaceful  old  halls 
Gladsome  the  good  mead. 

Heimdal  has  a  sword  called  Hofud  (head) ;  he  figures 
at  the  death  of  Balder  and  appears  in  Kagnarok.  Phys- 
ically interpreted,  Heimdal  is  the  god  of  the  rainbow, 
but  the  brilliant  rainbow  most  beautifully  symbolizes 
the  favoring  grace  of  the  gods.  The  rainbow  itself  is 
called  dslril  (asabridge)  or  Bifrost  (the  trembling  way), 
and  he  who  has  seen  a  perfect  rainbow  can  appreciate 
how  this  resplendent  arch  among  all  races  has  served 
as  a  symbol  of  peace,  the  bridge  between  heaven  and 
earth,  the  bridge  connecting  the  races  of  the  earth  with 
the  gods.  Did  not  God  in  Genesis  set  his  bow  in  the 
cloud  that  it  should  be  for  a  token  of  a  covenant  between 
him  and  the  earth?  And  when  our  poor  laboring 
masses  get  their  taste  cultivated  for  poetry,  art,  and 
mythological   lore, —  when  they  have  learned   to  appre- 


BRAGE   AND    IDUN.  273 

ciate  our  common  inheritance, —  they  will  find  that  our 
Gothic   history,  folk-lore  and  mythology  together  form 

A  link 
That  binds  us  to  the  skies, 
A  bridge  of  rainbows  thrown  across 
The  gulf  of  tears  and  sighs.* 

In  G-reece  we  find  the  goddess  Iris  as  the  imper- 
sonation of  the  rainbow ;  while  in  the  Bible  the  rainbow 
is  not  personified,  and  in  no  mythological  system  does 
the  graceful  divinity  of  the  rainbow  enter  so  prominently 
into  the  affairs  of  men  as  does  our  Heimdal.  In  the  first 
verse  of  Voluspa,  all  mankind  is  called  the  sons  of  Heim- 
dal, and  this  thought  is  developed  in  a  separate  lay  in 
the  Elder  Edda,  called  Eigsmiil,  the  lay  of  Eig  (Heim- 
dal), to  which  the  reader  is  referred. 

SECTION    IV.      BRAGE    AND    IDUN. 

Brage  is  the  son  of  Odin,  and  Idun  is  Brage's  wife. 
Brage  is  celebrated  for  his  wisdom,  but  more  especi- 
ally for  his  eloquence  and  correct  forms  of  speech.  He 
is  not  only  eminently  skilled  in  poetry,  but  the  art  itself 
is  from  his  name  called  Brage,  which  epithet  is  also  used 
to  denote  a  distinguished  poet  or  poetess.  Runes  are 
risted  on  his  tongue.  He  wears  a  long  flowing  beard, 
and  persons  with  heavy  beard  are  called  after  him,  beard- 
brage  {skeggiragi).  His  wife  Idun  (I^unn)  keeps  in  a 
box  the  apples  which  the  gods,  when  they  feel  old  age 
approaching,  have  only  to  taste  of  to  become  young  again. . 
It  is  in  this  manner  they  will  be  kept  in  renovated  youth 
until  Ragnarok.  This  is  a  great  treasure  committed  to 
the  guardianship  and  good  faith  of  Idun,  and  it  shall  be 
related  how  great  a  risk  the  gods  once  ran. 

*  Barry  Cornwall. 


274  IDUK   AND   HER   APPLES.     ■ 

At  the  feast  after  the  death  of  a  king  or  jarl,  it  was 
customary  among  the  Norsemen  for  the  heir  to  occupy 
a  lower  bench  in  front  of  the  chief  seat,  until  Bruge's 
bowl  was  brought  in.  Then  he  arose,  made  a  pledge, 
and  drank  the  cup  of  Brage.  After  that  he  was  con- 
ducted into  the  seat  of  his  father. 

At  the  sacrificial  feasts  of  the  Norsemen,  the  con- 
ductor of  the  sacrifice  consecrated  the  drinking-horns  as 
well  as  the  sacrificed  food.  The  guests  first  drank  Odin's 
horn,  for  the  victory  and  rule  of  the  king;  next  they 
drank  Njord's  and  Frey's  horns,  for  prosperous  seasons 
and  for  peace ;  and  then  many  were  accustomed  to  drink 
a  horn  to  Brage,  the  god  of  poetry.  A  characteristic 
ceremony  in  connection  with  this  horn  was,  that  when 
the  bowl  was  raised,  the  promise  of  performing  some 
great  deed  was  made,  which  might  furnish  material  for 
the  songs  of  the  skalds.  This  makes  the  character  of 
Brage  perfectly  clear. 

Idun's  name  is  derived  from  the  root  i^,  and  ex- 
presses a  constant  activity  and  renovation,  which  idea- 
becomes  more  firmly  established  by  the  following  myth, 

SECTION   V.      IDUN   AND    HER   APPLES. 

jEger,  the  god  of  the  sea,  who  Avas  well  skilled  in 
magic,  once  went  to  Asgard,  where  the  gods  gave  him  a 
very  good  reception.  Supper-time  having  come,  the 
twelve  mighty  gods,  together  with  the  goddesses  Frigg, 
Freyja,  Gefjun,  Idun,  Gerd,  Sigun,  Fulla,  and  Nanna, 
seated  themselves  on  their  lofty  doom  seats,  in  a  hall 
around  which  were  arranged  swords  of  such  surpassing 
brilliancy  that  no  other  light  was  necessary.  While  they 
were  emptying  their  capacious  drinking-horns,  ^ger, 
who  sat  next  to  Brage,  requested  him  to  relate  something 
concerning  the  asas.     Brage  instantly  complied  with  his 


IDUN    AND    HER   APPLES.  275 

request  by  informing  him  of  what  had  happened  to 
Idun. 

Once,  he  said,  when  Odin,  Loke  and  Keener  went 
on  a  journey,  they  came  to  a  valley  where  a  herd  of 
oxen  were  grazing,  and,  being  sadly  in  want  of  pro- 
visions, did  not  scruple  to  kill  one  for  their  supper. 
Vain,  however,  were  their  eflforts  to  boil  the  flesh; 
they  found  it,  every  time  they  took  the  lid  off  the  kettle, 
as  raw  as  when  first  put  in.  While  they  were  endeavor- 
ing to  account  for  this  singular  circumstance  a  noise 
was  heard  above  them,  and  on  looking  up  they  beheld 
an  enormous  eagle  perched  on  the  branch  of  an  oak 
tree.  If  you  are  willing  to  let  me  have  my  share  of  the 
flesh,  said  the  eagle,  it  shall  soon  be  boiled.  And  on 
assenting  to  this  proposal  it  flew  down  and  snatched  up 
a  leg  and  two  shoulders  of  the  ox  —  a  proceeding  which 
so  incensed  Loke  that  he  picked  up  a  large  pole  and 
made  it  fall  pretty  heavily  on  the  eagle's  back.  It  was, 
however,  not  an  eagle  that  Loke  struck,  but  the  renowned 
giant  Thjasse,  clad  in  his  eagle-plumage.  Loke  soon 
found  this  out  to  his  sorrow,  for  while  one  end  of  the 
pole  stuck  fast  to  the  eagle's  back,  he  was  unable  to  let 
go  his  hold  of  the  other  end,  and  was  consequently  trailed 
by  the  eagle-clad  giant  over  rocks  and  forests  until  he  was 
almost  torn  to  pieces,  and  he  thought  his  arms  would 
be  pulled  off  at  the  shoulders.  Loke  in  this  predica- 
ment began  to  sue  for  peace,  but  Thjasse  told  him  that 
he  should  never  be  released  from  his  hold  until  he 
bound  himself  by  a  solemn  oath  to  bring  Idun  and  her 
apples  out  of  Asgard.  Loke  very  willingly  gave  his 
oath  to  bring  about  this,  and  went  back  in  a  piteous 
plight  to  his  companions. 

On  his  return  to  Asgard,  Loke  told  Idun  that  in  a 
forest  not  very  far  from  the  celestial   residence  he  had 


2TG  IDLTX    AND    HEK   APPLES. 

found  apples  growing,  which  he  thought  were  of  a  much 
better  quality  than  her  own,  and  that  at  all  events  it 
was  worth  while  to  make  a  comparison   between  them. 
Idun,  deceived  by  his  words,  took  her  apples  and  went 
with  him  into  the  forest,  but  they  had  no  sooner  entered 
it  than  Thjasse,  clad  in  his  eagle-plumage,  flew  rapidly 
toward   them,  and,  catching   uj)   Idun,  carried  her  and 
her   treasure   off   with    him   to   Jotunheim.     The    gods 
being   thus   dejirived   of    their   renovating    apples,   soon 
became  wrinkled  and   gray ,    old  age  was   creeping  fast 
upon  them  when  they  discovered  that  Loke  had    been, 
as   usual,  the    contriver    of  all    the    mischief  that    had 
befallen   them.      Inquiry  was   made   about   Idun  in  the 
assembly  which  was  called,  and  the  last  anybody  knew 
about  her  was  that    she    had    been    seen    going   out   of 
Asgard  in  company  witli  Loke.     They  therefore  threat- 
ened him  with  torture  and  death  if  he  did  not  instantly 
hit  upon   some  expedient   for   bringing   back   Idun  and 
her  apples  to  Asgard.      This  threat  terrified   Loke,  and 
he   promised    to    bring    her    back    from    Jotunheim    if 
Freyja  would  lend  him  her  falcon-plumage.     He  got  the 
falcon -plumage  of  Freyja,  flew  in  it  to  Jotunheim,  and 
finding  that  Thjasse  Avas  out  at  sea  fishing,  he  lost  no 
time   in  transforming   Idun    into   a  nut   and   flying  off 
with  her  in  his  claws.     But  when  Thjasse  returned  and 
became   aware   of  what   had   happened,   he   put   on   his 
eagle-plumage  and  flew  after  them.     When  the  gods  saw 
Loke  approach,  holding  Idun  changed  into  a  nut  between 
his  claws,  and    Thjasse  with  his   outspread   eagle-wings 
ready  to  overtake  him,  they  placed  on  the  walls  of  Asgard 
bundles  of  chips,  which  they  set  fire  to  the  instant  Loke 
had   flown   over   them ;    and  as  Thjasse   could  not  stop 
his  flight,  the  fire  caught  his  plumage,  and  he  thus  fell 
into  the   power  of  the  gods,  who  slew  him  within  the 
portals  of  the  celestial  residence. 


IDUN    AND    HER   APPLES.  277 

When  these  tidings  came  to  Thjasse's  daughter,  Skade 
{Sl:a^i,  German  Schade,  harm),  she  put  on  her  armor  and 
went  to  Asgard,  fully  determined  to  avenge  her  father's 
death ;  but  the  gods  having  declared  their  willingness  to 
atone  for  the  deed,  an  amicable  arrangement  was  entered 
into.  Skade  was  to  choose  a  husband  in  Asgard,  and 
the  gods  were  to  make  her  laugh,  a  feat  which  she  flat- 
tered herself  it  would  be  impossible  for  any  one  to  accom- 
plish. Her  choice  of  a  husband  was  to  be  determined 
by  a  mere  inspection  of  the  feet  of  the  gods,  it  being 
stipulated  that  the  feet  should  be  the  only  part  of  their 
persons  visible  until  she  had  made  known  her  determi- 
nation. In  inspecting  the  row  of  feet  placed  before  her, 
Skade  took  a  fancy  to  a  pair  which  from  their  fine  pro- 
portions she  thought  certainly  must  be  those  of  Balder. 
I  choose  these,  she  said,  for  on  Balder  there  is  nothing 
unseemly.  The  feet  were  however  Njord's,  and  Njord 
was  given  her  for  a  husband ;  and  as  Loke  managed  to 
make  her  laugh  by  playing  some  diverting  antics  with 
a  goat,  the  atonement  was  fully  effected.  It  is  even  said 
that  Odin  did  more  than  had  been  stipulated,  by  taking 
out  Thjasse's  eyes  and  placing  them  to  shine  as  stars  in 
the  firmament. 

This  myth,  interpreted  by  the  visible  workings  of 
nature,  means  that  Idun  (the  ever-renovating  spring) 
being  in  the  possession  of  Thjasse  (the  desolating  win- 
ter), all  the  gods  —  that  is,  all  nature  —  languishes  until 
she  is  delivered  from  her  captivity.  On  this  being 
eflfected,  her  presence  again  diffuses  joy  and  gladness, 
and  all  things  revive ;  while  her  pursuer,  winter,  with 
his  icy  breath,  dissolves  in  the  solar  rays  indicated  by 
the  fires  lighted  on  the  walls  of  Asgard.  The  wintry 
blasts  rage  so  fearfully  in  the  flames,  that  the  flesh  cannot 
be  boiled,  and  the  wind  even  carries  a  burning  (Loke) 


278  IDUK    AND    HER    APPLES. 

stick  with  it.  The  ethical  interpretation  will  suggest 
itself  to  every  reader,  and  Idun  is  to  Brage,  who  sings 
among  the  trees  and  by  the  musical  brooks  of  spring, 
what  a  poetical  contemplation  of  the  busy  forces  of 
nature  in  producing  blossoms  and  ripening  fruit  must 
always  be  to  every  son  of  Brage. 


CHAPTER  III. 


BALDER  AND    NANNA,   HODER,   VALE   AND 
FORSETE. 

SECTION    I.      BALDER. 

BALDER  is  the  favorite  of  all  nature,  of  all  the  gods 
and  of  men.  He  is  son  of  Odin  and  Frigg,  and 
it  may  be  truly  said  of  him  that  he  is  the  best  god,  and 
that  all  mankind  are  loud  in  his  praise.  So  fair  and 
dazzling  is  he  in-^rm  and  features,  that  rays  of  light 
seem  to  issue  from  liim ;  and  we  may  form  some  idea 
of  the  beauty  of  his  hair  when  we  know  that  the  whitest 
of  all  plants  is  called  KaUUr's  hro2v.*  Balder  is  the 
mildest,  the  wisest  and  the  most  eloquent  of  all  the  gods, 
yet  such  is  his  nature  that  the  judgment  he  has  pro- 
nounced can  never  be  altered.  He  dwells  in  the  heavenly 
mansion  called  Breidablik  (the  broad-shining  splendor), 
into  which  nothing  unclean  can  enter.  Thus  the  Elder 
Edda,  in  the  lay  of  Grimner: 

Breidablik  is  the  seventh. 
Where  Balder  has 
Built  for  himself  a  hall, 
In  that  land 
In  which  I  know  exists 
The  fewest  crimes. 

*  The  anthemis  cotula  is  generally  called  Baldersbraa  in  the  North. 

(279) 


280  DEATH    OF   BALDER. 

SECTION    II.      THE   DEATH    OF   BALDER   THE   GOOD. 

This  was  an  event  which  the  asas  deemed  of  great 
importance.  Balder  the  Good  having  been  tormented  by 
terrible  dreams,  indicating  that  his  life  was  in  great  peril, 
communicated  them  to  the  assembled  gods,  who,  sorrow- 
stricken,  resolved  to  conjure  all  things  to  avert  from  him 
the  threatened  danger.  Then  Frigg  exacted  an  oath 
from  fire  and  water,  from  iron  and  all  other  metals,  as 
well  as  from  stones,  earths,  diseases,  beasts,  birds,  poisons,^ 
and  creeping  things,  that  none  of  them  would  do  any 
harm  to  Balder.  Still  Odin  feared  that  the  prosperity  of 
the  gods  had  vanished.  He  saddled  his  Sleipner  and 
rode  down  to  Niflheim,  where  the  dog  from  Hel  met 
him ;  it  was  bloody  on  the  breast  and  barked  a  long  time 
at  Odin.  Odin  advanced;  the  earth  trembled  beneath 
him,  and  he  came  to  the  high  dwelling  of  Hel.  East  of 
the  door  he  knew  the  grave  of  the  vala  was  situated ; 
thither  he  rode  and  sang  magic  songs  (Jcva^  galdrci)y 
until  she  unwillingly  stood  up  and  asked  Avho  disturbed 
her  peace,  after  she  had  been  lying  so  long  covered  with 
snow  and  wet  with  dew.  Odin  called  liimself  Vegtam,  a. 
son  of  Valtam,  and  asked  for  Avhom  the  benches  were 
strewn  with  rings  and  the  couches  were  swimming  in  gold. 
She  replied  that  the  mead  was  brewed  for  Balder,  but  all 
the  gods  would  despair.  When  Odin  asked  further  who 
should  be  Balder's  bane,  she  answered  that  Hoder  would 
hurl  the  famous  branch  and  become  the  bane  of  Odin's 
son ;  but  Rind  should  give  birth  to  a  son  who,  only  one 
night  old,  should  wield  a  sword,  and  would  neither  wash 
his  hands  nor  comb  his  hair  before  he  had  avenged  his 
brother.  But  recognizing  Odin  by  an  enigmatical  ques- 
tion, she  said :  You  are  not  Vegtam,  as  I  believed,  but 
you  are  Odin,  the  old  ruler.     Odin  replied :   You  are  no- 


DEATH    OF    BALDER.  281 

vala,  but  the  mother  of  three  giants.  Then  the  vala 
told  Odin  to  ride  home  and  boast  of  his  journey,  but 
assured  him  that  no  one  should  again  visit  her  thus  be- 
fore Loke  should  be  loosed  from  his  chains  and  the  ruin 
of  the  gods  had  come.  Thus  the  lay  of  Vegtam  in  the 
Elder  Edda: 

Together  were  the  gods 

All  in  council. 

And  the  goddesses 

All  in  conference ; 

And  they  consulted 

The  mighty  gods, 

Why  Balder  had 

Oppressive  dreams. 

To  that  god  his  slumber 
Was  most   afflicting; 
His  auspicious  dreams 
Seemed  departed. 
They  the  giants  questioned. 
Wise  seers  of  the  future, 
Whether  this  might  not 
Forebode  calamity. 

The  responses  said 

That  to  death  destined  was 

Uller's  kinsman, 

Of  all  the  dearest: 

That  cavised  grief 

To  Frigg  and  Svafner, 

And  to  the  other  powers, — 

On  a  course  they  resolved : 

That  they  would  send 
To  every  being. 
Assurance  to  solicit, 
Balder  not  to  harm. 
All  species  swore 
Oaths  to  spare  him : 
Frigg  received  all 
Their  vows  and  compacts. 
24 


282  DEATH    OF    BALDER. 

Valfather  fears 
Something  defective ; 
He  thinks  the  haminjes* 
May  have  departed ; 
The  gods  he  convenes, 
Their  counsel  craves ; 
At  the  deliberation 
Much  is  devised. 

Up  stood  Odin, 
Lord  of  men, 
And  on  Sleipuer  he 
The  saddle  laid  ; 
Rode  he  thence  down 
To  Niflheim. 
A  dog  he  met, 
From  Hel  coming. 

It  was  blood-stained 

On  its  breast. 

On  its  slaughter-craving  throat, 

And  nether  jaw. 

It  barked 

And  widely  gaped 

At  the  father  of  magic  song: 

Long  it  howled. 

Forth  rode  Odin  — 
The  ground  thundered  — 
Till  to  Hel's  lofty 
House  he  came ; 
Then  rode  Ygg  (Odin) 
To  the  eastern  gate, 
Where  he  knew  there  was 
A  vala's  grave. 

To  the  prophetess  he  began 
A  magic  song  to  chant, 
Toward  the  north  looked. 
Potent  runes  applied, 

Guardian  spirits. 


DEATH    OF    BALDER.  383 

A  spell  pronounced, 

An  answer  demanded. 

Until  compelled  she  rose 

And  with,  death-like  voice  she  said: 

THK  vala: 
What  man  is  this, 
To  me  unknown, 
Who  has  for  me  increased 
An  irksome  course? 
I  have  with  snow  been  decked. 
By  rain  beaten, 
And  with  dew  moistened, — 
Long  have  I  been  dead. 

VEGTAM : 
Vegtam  is  my  name, 
I  am  Valtam's  son. 
Tell  thou  me  of  Hel ; 
From  earth  I  call  on  thee. 
For  whom  are  these  benches 
Strewed  o'er  with  rings, — 
Those  costly  couches 
O'erlaid  with  gold? 

THE  vala: 
Here  stands  mead 
For  Balder  brewed, 
Over  the  bright  drink 
A  shield  is  laid ; 
But  the  race  of  gods 
Is  in  despair. 

By  compulsion  I  have  spoken. 
Now  will  I  be  silent. 

VEGTAM : 

Be  not  silent,  vala ! 
I  will  question  thee 
Until  all  I  know : 
I  will  yet  know 
Who  will  Balder's 
Slayer  be, 


284  DEATH    OF    BALDEK. 

And  Odiu's  son 
Of  life  bereave. 

THE  VALA: 

Hoder  will  hither 

His  glorious  brother  send; 

He  of  Balder  will 

The  slayer  be, 

And  Odin's  son 

Of  life  bereave. 

By  compulsion  I  have  spoken. 

Now  will  I  be  pilent. 

VEGTAM : 
Be  not  silent,  vala  ! 
I  will  question  thee 
Until  all  I  know : 
I  will  yet  know 
Who  on  Hoder  vengeance 
Will  inflict, 
Or  Balder's  slayer 
Raise  on  the  pile. 

THE    VALA: 

Rind  a  son  shall  bear 

In  the  wintry  halls  ; 

He  shall  slay  Odin's  son. 

When  one  night  old. 

He  a  hand  will  not  wash, 

Nor  his  hair  comb, 

Ere  to  the  pile  he  has  borne 

Balder's  adversary. 

By  compulsion  I  have  spoken, 

Now  will  I  be  silent. 

VEGTAM  : 
Be  not  silent,  vala ! 
I  will  question  thee 
Until  all  I  know : 
I  will  yet  know 
Who  are  the  maids 
That  weep  at  will 


DEATH    OF    BALDER.  285 

And  heavenward  cast 

Their  neck-veils. 

Tell  me  that; 

Till  then  thou  sleepest  not. 

THE   VALA  : 
Not  Vegtam  art  thou, 
As  I  before  believed ; 
Rather  art  thou  Odin, 
Lord  of  men. 

ODIN. 
Thou  art  no  vala. 
Nor  wise  woman ; 
Rather  art  thou  the  mother 
Of  three  thurses  (giants). 

THK  VALA  : 

Home  ride  thou,  Odin ! 
And  exult. 

Thus  shall  never  more 
Man  again  visit  me 
Until  Loke  free 
From  his  bonds  escapes, 
And  Ragnarok 
All-destroying  comes. 

When  it  had  been  made  known  that  nothing  in  the 
world  would  harm  Balder,  it  became  a  favorite  pastime 
of  the  gods,  at  their  meetings,  to  get  Balder  to  stand  up 
and  serve  them  as  a  mark,  some  hurling  darts  at  him, 
some  stones,  while  others  hewed  at  him  with  their  swords 
and  battle-axes;  for  whatever  they  did  none  of  them 
could  harm  him,  and  this  Avas  regarded  by  all  as  a  great 
honor  shown  to  Balder.  But  when  Loke  Laufeyarson 
beheld  the  scene  he  was  sorely  vexed  that  Balder  was 
not  hurt.  Assuming,  therefore,  the  guise  of  a  woman 
he  went  to  Fensal,  the  mansion  of  Frigg.  That  goddess, 
seeing  the  pretended  woman,  inquired  of  her  whether 
she  knew  what  the  gods  were  doing  at  their  meetings. 


286  DEATH    OF    BALDER. 

The  woman  (Loke)  replied  that  they  were  throwing 
darts  and  stones  at  Balder,  without  being  able  to  hurt 
him. 

Ay,  said  Frigg,  neither  metal  nor  wood  can  hurt 
Balder,  for  I  have  exacted  an  oath  from  all  of  them. 

What!  exclaimed  the  woman,  have  all  things  sworn 
to  spare  Balder? 

All  things,  replied  Frigg,  except  one  little  shrub  that 
grows  on  the  eastern  side  of  Vallial,  and  is  called  mistle- 
toe, and  which  I  thought  too  young  and  feeble  to  crave 
an  oath  from. 

As  soon  as  Loke  heard  this  he  went  away,  and, 
resuming  his  natural  form,  pulled  up  the  mistletoe  and 
repaired  to  the  place  where  the  gods  were  assembled. 
There  he  found  Hoder  standing  far  to  one  side  without 
engaging  in  the  sport,  on  account  of  his  blindness, 
Loke  going  up  to  him  said :  Why  do  not  you  also  throw 
something  at  Balder? 

Because  I  am  blind,  answered  Hoder,  and  cannot  see 
where  Balder  is,  and  besides  I  have  nothing  to  throw 
with. 

Come  then,  said  Loke,  do  like  the  rest,  and  show 
honor  to  Balder  by  throwing  this  twig  at  him,  and  I  will 
direct  your  arm  toward  the  place  where  he  stands. 

Hoder  then  took  the  mistletoe,  and  under  the  guid- 
ance of  Loke  darted  it  at  Balder,  who,  pierced  through 
and  through,  fell  down  lifeless.  Surely  never  was  there 
witnessed,  either  among  gods  or  men,  a  more  atrocious 
deed  than  this !  When  Balder  fell  the  gods  were  struck 
speechless  with  horror,  and  then  they  looked  at  each 
other;  and  all  were  of  one  mind  to  lay  hands  on  him 
who  had  done  the  deed,  but  they  were  obliged  to  delay 
their  vengeance  out  of  respect  for  the  sacred  place  (place 
of  peace)  where  they  were  assembled.     They  at  length 


DEATH    OF    BALDER.  287 

gave  vent  to  their  grief  by  such  loud  lamentations  that 
they  were  not  able  to  express  their  grief  to  one  another. 
Odin,  however,  felt  this  misfortune  most  severely,  because 
he  knew  best  how.  great  was  the  mischief  and  the  loss 
which  the  gods  had  sustained  by  the  death  of  Balder. 
When  the  gods  were  a  little  composed,  Frigg  asked  who 
among  them  wished  to  gain  all  her  love  and  favor  by 
riding  to  the  lower  world  to  try  and  find  Balder,  and 
offer  a  ransom  to  Hel  if  she  will  permit  Balder  to  return 
to  Asgard;  whereupon  Hermod,  surnamed  the  Nimble, 
offered  to  undertake  the  journey.  Odin's  horse,  Sleipner, 
was  then  led  forth  and  prepared  for  the  journey;  Hermod 
mounted  him  and  galloped  hastily  away. 

The  gods  then  took  the  dead  body  of  Balder  and 
carried  it  to  the  sea,  where  lay  Balder's  ship,  Riughorn, 
which  was  the  largest  of  all  ships.  But  when  they 
wanted  to  launch  this  ship,  in  order  to  make  Balder's 
funeral  pile  on  it,  tliey  were  unable  to  move  it  from  the 
place.  In  this  predicament  they  sent  a  messenger  to 
Jotunheim  for  a  certain  giantess  named  Hyrroken  (the 
smoking  fire),  who  came  riding  on  a  wolf  and  had 
twisted  serpents  for  her  reins.  As  soon  as  she  alighted 
Odin  ordered  four  berserks  to  hold  her  steed,  bat  they 
were  obliged  to  throw  the  animal  down  on  the  ground 
before  they  could  manage  it.  Hyrroken  then  went  to 
the  prow  of  the  ship,  and  with  a  single  push  set  it 
afloat;  but  the  motion  was  so  violent  that  fire  sparkled 
from  the  underlaid  rollers  and  the  whole  earth  shook. 
Thor,  enraged  at  the  sight,  grasped  his  mallet  and  would 
have  broken  the  woman's  skull,  had  not  the  gods  inter- 
ceded for  her.  Balder's  body  was  then  carried  to  the 
funeral  pile  on  board  the  ship,  and  this  ceremony  had 
such  an  effect  upon  Balder's  wife,  Nanna,  daughter   of 


288  DEATH    OF    BALDER. 

Nep,  that  her  heart  broke  with  grief,  and  her  body  was 
laid  upon  the  same  pile  aud  burned  with  that  of  her 
husband.  Thor  stood  beside  the  pile  and  consecrated  it 
with  his  hammer  Mjolner.  Before  his  feet  sprang  up  a 
dwarf  called  Lit.  Thor  kicked  him  with  his  foot  into 
the  fire,  so  that  he  also  was  burned.  There  was  a  vast 
concourse  of  various  kinds  of  people  at  Balder's  funeral 
procession.  First  of  all  came  Odin,  accompanied  by 
Frigg,  the  valkyries,  and  his  ravens.  Then  came  Frey 
in  his  chariot,  drawn  by  the  boar  Gullinburste  (gold- 
brush),  or  Slidrugtanne  (the  sharp-toothed).  Heimdal 
rode  his  horse  Gold  top,  and  Freyja  drove  in  her  chariot 
drawn  by  cats.  There  were  also  a  great  number  of 
frost-giants  and  mountain-giants  present.  Odin  cast 
upon  the  funeral  pile  the  famous  ring  Draupner,  which 
had  been  made  for  him  by  the  dwarfs,  and  possessed  the 
property  of  producing  every  ninth  night  eight  rings  of 
equal  weight.  Balder's  horse,  fully  caparisoned,  was 
also  laid  upon  the  pile,  and  consumed  in  the  same  flames 
with  the  body  of  his  master. 

Meanwhile  Hermod  was  proceeding  on  his  mission. 
Of  him  it  is  to  be  related  that  he  rode  nine  days  and  as 
many  nights  through  dark  and  deep  valleys,  so  dark 
that  he  could  not  discern  anything,  until  he  came  to  the 
river  Gjol  and  passed  over  the  Gjallar  bridge  (bridge 
over  the  river  Gjol),  which  is  covered  with  glittering 
gold.  Modgud,  the  maiden  who  kept  the  bridge,  asked 
him  his  name  and  parentage,  and  added  that  the  day 
before  five  fylkes  (kingdoms,  bands)  of  dead  men  had 
ridden  over  the  bridge ;  but,  she  said,  it  did  not  shake 
as  much  beneath  all  of  them  together  as  it  does  under 
you  alone,  and  you  have  not  the  complexion  of  the  dead ; 
why  then  do  you  ride  here  on  your  way  to  Hel  ?  I  ride 
to  Hel,  answered  Hermod,  to  seek  for  Balder ;  have  you 


DEATH    OF   BALDER.  289 

perchance  seen  him  pass  this  way?  She  replied  that 
Balder  had  ridden  over  the  Gjallar  bridge,  and  that  the 
road  to  the  abodes  of  death  (to  Hel)  lay  downward  and 
toward  the  north. 

Hermod  then  continued  his  journey  until  he  came 
to  the  barred  gates  of  Hel.  Then  he  alighted  from  his 
horse,  drew  the  girths  tighter,  remounted  him  and 
clapped  both  spurs  into  him.  The  horse  cleared  the  gate 
with  a  tremendous  leap  without  touching  it.  Hermod 
then  rode  forward  to  the  palace,  alighted  and  went  in, 
where  he  found  his  brother  Balder  occupying  the  most 
distinguished  seat  in  the  hall,  and  spent  the  night  in  his 
company.  The  next  morning  he  entreated  Hel  (death) 
to  let  Balder  ride  home  with  him,  representing  to  her 
the  sorrow  which  prevailed  among  the  gods.  Hel  replied 
that  it  should  now  be  tried  whether  Balder  was  so 
nniversally  beloved  as  he  was  said  to  be;  if  therefore, 
she  added,  all  things  in  the  world,  the  living  as  well  as 
the  lifeless,  will  weep  for  him,  then  he  shall  return  to 
the  gods,  but  if  anything  speak  against  him  or  refuse 
to  weep,  then  Hel  will  keep  him. 

After  this  Hermod  rose  up,  Balder  went  with  him 
out  of  the  hall  and  gave  him  the  ring  Draupner,  to 
present  as  a  keepsake  to  Odin.  Nanna  sent  Frigg  a 
carpet  together  with  several  other  gifts,  and  to  Fulla 
she  sent  a  gold  finger-ring.  Hermod  then  rode  back  to 
Asgard  and  related  everything  that  he  had  heard  and 
witnessed. 

The  gods  upon  this  dispatched  messengers  through- 
out all  the  world  to  beseech  everything  to  weep,  in 
order  that  Balder  might  be  delivered  from  the  power  of 
Hel.  All  things  very  willingly  complied  with  the  re- 
quest,—  men,  animals,  the  earth,  stones,  trees,  and  all 
metals,  just  as  we  see  things  weep  when  they  come  out 
25 


290  DEATH    OF    BALDER. 

of  the  frost  into  the  warm  air.  When  the  messengers 
were  returning,  with  the  conviction  that  their  mission 
had  been  quite  successful,  they  found  on  their  way 
home  a  giantess  (ogress,  Icel.  gygr),  who  called  herself 
Thok.  They  bade  her  also  weep  Balder  out  of  the  do- 
minion of  Hel.      But  she  answered: 

Tliok  will  weep 

With  dry  tears  * 

For  Balder's  death  ; 

Neither  in  life  nor  in  death 

Gave  he  me  gladness. 

Let  Hel  keep  what  she  has. 

It  is  supposed  that  this  giantess  {gygr)  was  no  other 
than  Loke  Laufeyarson  himself,  who  had  caused  the  gods 
so  many  other  troubles.  Thus  the  Elder  Edda  refers  to 
the  death  of  Balder  in  Voluspa: 

I  saw  the  concealed 

Fate  of  Balder, 

The  blood-stained  god, 

The  son  of  Odin. 

In  the  fields 

There  stood  grown  up. 

Slender  and  passing  fair. 

The  mistletoe. 

From  that  shrub  was  made, 
As  to  me  it  seemed, 
A  deadly  noxious  dart ; 
Hoder  shot  it  forth ; 
But  Frigg  bewailed 
In  Fensal 
Valhal's  calamity. 
Understand  ye  yet,  or  what? 

To  conquer  Vafthrudner,  and  to  reveal  himself,  Odin  asks 
him  to  solve  this  last  problem: 

*  The  sparks  of  fire  are  dry  tears. 


DEATH    OF    BALDER.  391 

What  said  Odin 
la  his  son's  ear, 
Ere  he  on  the  pile  was  laid  ? 

This  is  the  question  that  Yafthriidner  was  unable  to 
answer,  and  hence  he  had  to  forfeit  his  head.  N.  M. 
Petersen  thinks  that  Odin  whispered  into  Balder's  ear 
the  name  of  the  supreme  god. 

This  myth  about  the  death  of  Balder  finds  an  apt 
explanation  in  the  seasons  of  the  year,  in  the  change 
from  light  to  darkness,  in  Norseland.  Balder  represents 
the  bright  and  clear  summer,  when  twilight  and  day- 
break kiss  each  other  and  go  liand  in  hand  in  these 
northern  latitudes.  His  death  by  Hoder  is  the  victory 
of  darkness  over  light,  the  darkness  of  winter  over  the 
light  of  summer,  and  the  revenge  by  Vale  is  the  break- 
ing forth  of  new  light  after  the  wintry  darkness. 

In  this  connection  it  is  also  worthy  of  notice  that 
there  used  to  be  a  custom,  which  is  now  nearly  forgotten, 
of  celebrating  the  banishment  of  death  or  darkness,  the 
strife  between  winter  and  summer,  together  with  the  ar- 
rival of  the  May-king  and  election  of  the  May-queen. 
Forgotten!  yes,  well  may  we  ask  how  it  could  come  to 
pass  that  we  through  long  centuries  have  worried  and 
tortured  ourselves  with  every  scrap  of  Greek  and  Latin 
we  could  find,  without  caring  the  least  for  our  own 
beautiful  and  profound  memories  of  the  past.  Death 
was  carried  out  in  the  image  of  a  tree  and  thrown  in 
the  water  or  burned.  In  the  spring  two  men  represent 
summer  and  winter,  the  one  clad  in  wintergreen  or 
leaves,  the  other  in  straw.  They  have  a  large  company  /  . 
of  attendants  with  them,  armed  with  staves,  and  they/^ 
fight  with  each  other  until  winter  (or  death)  is  subdued. 
They  prick  his  eyes  out  or  throw  him  into  the  water. 
These  customs,  which  prevailed  throughout  the  middle 


292  DEATH    OF    BALDER. 

ages,  had   their   root   and   origin   in   the   ancient   myth 
given  above. 

No  myth  can  be  clearer  than  tliis  one  of  Balder. 
The  Younger  Edda  says  distinctly  that  he  is  so  fair 
and  dazzling  in  form  and  features  that  rays  of  light 
seem  to  issue  from  him.  Balder,  then,  is  the  god  of 
light,  the  light  of  tlie  world.  Light  is  the  best  thing 
we  have  in  the  world ;  it  is  white  and  pure ;  it  can- 
not be  wounded;  no  shock  can  disturb  it;  nothing  in 
the  Avorld  can  kill  it  excepting  its  own  negative,  dark- 
ness (Hoder).  Loke  (fire)  is  jealous  of  it;  the  pure 
light  of  heaven  and  the  blaze  of  fire  are  each  other's 
eternal  enemies.  Balder  does  not  fight,  the  mythology 
gives  no  exploits  by  him;  he  only  shines  and  dazzles, 
conferring  blessings  upon  all,  and  this  he  continues  to 
do  steadfast  and  unchangeable,  until  darkness  steals 
upon  him,  darkness  that  does  not  itself  know  what 
harm  it  is  doing;  and  when  Balder  is  dead,  cries  of 
lamentation  are  heard  throughout  all  nature.  All  na- 
ture seeks  light.  Does  not  the  eye  of  the  child  seek 
the  light  of  the  morning,  and  does  not  the  child  weep 
when  light  vanishes,  when  night  sets  in  ?  Does  not 
this  myth  of  Balder  repeat  itself  in  the  old  man,  who 
like  Goethe,  when  death  darkened  his  eyes,  cried  out: 
7nehr  liclit  (more  light)  ?  Does  not  the  eagle  from  the 
loftiest  pinnacle  of  the  mountain  seek  light?  The 
lark  soars  on  his  lofty  pinions  and  greets  in  warbling 
notes  the  king  of  day  welcome  back  into  his  kingdom. 
The  tree  firmly  rooted  in  the  ground  strains  toward  the 
light,  spreading  upward  in  search  of  it.  The  bird  of 
passage  on  his  free  wing  flies  after  and  follows  the  light. 
Is  it  not  the  longing  after  light  that  draws  the  bird 
southward  in  the  fall  when  the  days  shorten  in  the 
north,   and   draws    the    little    wanderer   back   ao^ain    as 


DEATH    OF   BALDEK.  293 

soon  as  the  long  northern  days  set  in  with  all  their 
luminous  and  long-drawn  hours  ?  As  Runeberg  epi- 
grammatically  has  it: 

The  bird  of  passage  is  of  uoble  birtli ; 
He  bears  a  motto,  and  bis  motto  is, 
Lux  mea  dux.  Light  is  my  leader. 

Nay  all  living  things,  even  the  shells  in  the  sea, 
every  leaf  of  the  oak  and  every  blade  of  grass,  seeks 
light,  and  the  blind  poet  sings: 

Hail,  holy  light !  offspring  of  heaven  first  born  ! 
He  that  hath  liglit  within  his  own  clear  breast 
May  sit  in  the  center  and  enjoy  bright  day; 
But  he  that  hides  a  dark  soul  and  foul  thoughts 
Benighted  walks  under  the  midday  sun* 

And  another  bard: 

Light  down  from  heaven  descends. 
Ether  pure  in  flowing  bowls ; 
Light  up  to  heaven  ascends, 
A  mediator  for  our  souls. 

Ay,  it  would  be  resting  satisfied  with  the  shell  to  inter- 
pret Balder  as  the  mere  impersonation  of  the  natural 
light  of  heaven.  He  represents  and  symbolizes  in  the 
profoundest  sense  the  heavenly  light  of  the  soul  and  of 
the  mind,  purity,  innocence,  piety.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  our  ancestors  combined  the  ethical  with  the 
physical  in  this  myth.  All  light  comes  from  heaven. 
The  natural  light  shines  into  and  illuminates  the  eye, 
the  spiritual  shines  into  and  illuminates  the  heart. 
Innocence  cannot  be  wounded.  Arrogance  and  jealousy 
throw  their  pointed  arrows  of  slander  at  it,  but  they  fall 
harmless  to  the  ground.  But  there  is  one  inclination, 
one  unguarded  spot  among  our  other  strong  guarded 
passions.  The  mischief-maker  knows  how  to  find  this 
and  innocence  is  pierced.     When  Balder  dies,  a  dark  veil 

♦Milton. 


294  DEATH    OF    BALDER. 

enshrouds  all  nature,  and  thus  history  clothes  herself  in 
mourning,  not  because  the  hero  dies,  but  because  the 
innocent  Lincoln  is  pierced  by  the  bullet  of  the  foul 
assassin,  who  turns  to  the  night  and  flees.  Every  time 
light  is  slain  by  darkness  it  is  the  beautiful  and  good 
that  is  stricken  down ,  but  it  is  never  stricken  down 
except  to  return  and  shine  with  increased  splendor. 
Balder  dies  in  nature  when  the  woods  are  stripped  of 
their  foliage,  when  the  flowers  fade  and  the  storms  of 
winter  howl.  Balder  dies  in  the  spiritual  world  when 
the  good  ai'e  led  away  from  the  paths  of  virtue,  when  the 
soul  becomes  dark  and  gloomy,  forgetting  its  heavenly 
origin.  Balder  returns  in  nature  when  the  gentle  winds 
of  spring  stir  the  air,  when  the  niglitingale's  high  note 
is  heard  in  the  heavens,  and  the  flowers  are  unlocked  to 
paint  the  laughing  soil,  wlien  light  takes  the  place  of 
gloom  and  darkness;  Balder  returns  in  the  sjDiritual 
world  when  the  lost  soul  finds  itself  again j  throws  off 
the  mantle  of  darkness,  and  like  a  shining  spirit  soars 
on  wings  of  light  to  heaven,  to  Grod,  who  gave  it. 

The  flower  which  is  sacred  to  Balder,  the  Balder's 
brow,  IS  the  anthem  is  cotula.  It  is  a  complete  flower 
with  a  yellow  disc  and  white  rays,  a  symbol  of  the  sun 
with  its  beaming  light,  a  sunflower.  What  a  poetical 
thought!  The  light  pouring  down  upon  the  earth  from 
beneath  Balder's  eye-brows,  and  the  hairs  of  his  eye-lids 
are  the  beams.  What  a  theme  for  a  Correggio,  who 
succeeded  so  well  m  painting  the  innocence  of  woman 
beaming  from  her  half-closed  eyes! 

Balder's  wife  is  Nanna.  She  dies  broken-hearted  a^ 
his  death.  She  is  the  floral  goddess  who  always  turns 
her  smiling  face  toward  the  sun.  Her  father  was  Nep 
(nepr,  a  bud),  son  of  Odin.  Nanna's  and  Balder's  send- 
ing the  ring  Draupner  to  Odin,  a  carpet  to  Frigg,  and 


DEATH    OF   BALDER.  295 

a  ring  to  Fulla,  has  been  explained  heretofore,  and  how 
beautifully  it  symbolizes  the  return  of  earth's  flowery 
carpet,  with  fruitfulness  and  abundance,  will  be  evident 
to  every  thoughtful  reader. 

The  sorrow  of  all  nature  we  easily  understand  when 
we  know  that  Loke  rejD resents  fire  and  Balder  is  gone  to 
Hel.  All  things  weep,  become  damp,  when  brought  from 
the  cold  to  the  warm  air,  excepting  fire,  and  we  remember 
that  Thok,  that  is,  Loke  in  disguise,  wept  dry  tears 
(sparks) ;  but  all  genuine  tears  are  caused  by  a  change 
of  the  heart  from  coldness  to  warmth.  It  is  a  common 
expression  in  Iceland  yet  to  say  that  the  stones,  when 
covered  with  dew,  weep  for  Balder  {grata  Baldr).  Bal- 
der's  ship,  Ringhorn,  is  rightly  called  the  largest  of  all 
ships.  Ringhorn  is  the  whole  world,  and  the  whole  earth 
is  Balder's  funeral  pile.  The  tops  of  the  mountains  are 
the  masts  of  this  ship,  which  is  round  (ring)  as  the 
whirling  world. 

It  is  time  we  ceased  talking  about  our  barbarous 
ancestors,  for,  if  we  rightly  comprehend  this  myth  of 
Balder,  we  know  that  they  appreciated,  nay,  profoundly 
and  poetically  appreciated,  the  light  that  fills  the  eye 
and  blesses  the  heart,  and  were  sensitive  to  the  pain  that 
cuts  through  the  bosom  of  man  even  into  its  finest  and 
most  delicate  fibers.  In  this  myth  of  Balder  is  inter- 
woven the  most  delicate  feelings  with  the  sublimest 
sentiments.  Read  it  and  comprehend  it.  Let  the  ear 
and  heart  and  soul  be  open  to  the  voiceless  music  that 
breathes  through  it.  And  when  you  have  thus  read 
this  myth,  in  connection  with  the  other  myths  and  in 
connection  with  the  best  Sagas,  then  do  not  say  another 
word  about  the  North  not  having  any  literature!  Thanks 
be  to  the  norns,  that  the  monks  and  priests,  whose  most 
zealous  work   it  was   to   root  out  the   memories  of  the 


296  FORSETE. 

past  and  reduce  the  gods  of  our  fathers  to  common- 
place demons,  did  not  succeed  in  their  devastating  mis- 
sion in  faithful  Iceland !  Thanks  be  to  Shakespeare,  that 
he  did  not  forget  the  stern,  majestic,  impartial  and 
beautiful  norns,  even  though  he  did  cliange  them  into 
the  wrinkled  witches  that  figure  in  Macbeth!  Nay,  that 
this  our  ancient  mythology,  in  spite  of  the  wintry  blasts 
that  have  swept  over  it,  in  spite  of  the  piercing  cold 
to  which  it  has  been  exposed  at  the  hand  of  those  who 
thought  they  came  with  healing  for  the  nations,  in 
spite  of  all  the  persecution  it  has  suffered  from  monks 
and  bishops,  professors  and  kings;  that  it,  in  spite  of  all 
these,  has  been  able  to  bud  and  blossom  in  our  Teutonic 
folk-lore,  our  May-queens,  and  popular  life,  is  proof  of 
the  strong  vital  force  it  contained,  and  proof,  too,  of  the 
vigorous  thought  of  our  forefathers  who  preserved  it. 
And  nowhere  is  this  more  evident  than  in  Norway. 
These  stories  which  have  their  root  in  the  Norse  my- 
thology have  been  handed  down  by  word  of  mouth  from 
generation  to  generation  with  remarkable  fidelity.  Look 
at  those  long  and  narrow  and  deep  valleys  of  Norway! 
Those  great  clefts  are  deep  furrows  plowed  m  the  mount- 
ain mass  in  order  that  it  might  yield  a  bountiful  crop 
of  folk-lore,  the  seed  of  which  is  the  Edda  mythology. 
Let  us  give  our  children  a  share  m  the  harvest! 

SECTION    III.       FORSETE. 

Forsete  is  the  son  of  Balder  and  Nanna.  He  possesses 
the  heavenly  mansion  called  Glitner,  and  all  disjjutants 
at  law  who  bring  their  cases  before  him  go  away  perfectly 
reconciled.  His  tribunal  is  the  best  that  is  to  be  found 
among  gods  and  men.  Thus  the  Elder  Edda,  in  the 
lay  of  Grimner : 


FORSETE.  297 

Qlitner  is  the  tenth  mansion ; 
It  is  on  gold  sustained, 
And  also  with  silver  decked. 
There  Forsete  dwells 
Throughout  all  time, 
And  every  strife  allays. 

Forsete  means  simply  president.  The  island  Hel- 
goland was  formerly  called  Forseteland.  Justice  was 
dealt  out  in  Norseland  during  the  bright  season  of  the 
year,  and  only  while  the  sun  was  up,  in  the  open  air, 
in  the  flowering  lap  of  nature.  The  sanctity  of  the 
assembly  and  purity  of  justice  is  expressed  by  the 
golden  columns  and  the  silver  roof  of  Glitner.  The 
splendor  of  Balder  shone  upon  his  son. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THOR,  HIS  WIFE  SIF  AND  SON  ULLER. 

SECTION    I.      GENERAL   SYNOPSIS. 

THOR  {]>6rr,  puiiarr,  Anglo-Saxon  ])unor,  German 
domier,  thunder),  after  whom  Thursday  is  named 
(Thor's-day),  is  the  chief  god  next  after  Odin.  He  is 
a  spring  god,  subduing  the  frost-giants. 

Thor  wears  a  red  beard,  his  nature  is  fire,  he  is 
girded  with  the  belt  of  strength,  swings  a  hammer  in 
his  hand,  rides  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  two  goats,  from 
whose  hoofs  and  teeth  sparks  of  fire  flash,  and  the 
scarlet  cloud  reflects  his  fiery  eyes,  over  his  head  he 
wears  a  crown  of  stars,  under  his  feet  rests  the  earth, 
and  it  shows  the  footprints  of  his  mighty  steps.  He 
is  called  Asathor  and  also  Akethor  (from  aJca,  to  ride), 
and  is  the  strongest  of  gods  and  men.  He  is  enor- 
mously strong  and  terrible  when  angry,  but,  as  is  so 
frequently  the  case  with  very  strong  men,  his  great 
strength  is  coupled  with  a  thoroughly  inoffensive  good- 
nature. His  realm  is  named  Thrudvang  and  his  man- 
sion Bilskirner,  in  Avhich  are  five  hundred  and  forty 
halls.  It  is  the  largest  house  ever  built.  Thus  the 
Elder  Edda,  in  the  lay  of  Grimner: 

Five  hundred  halls 
And  forty  more 
Methiuks  has 
Bowed  Bilskirner ; 

(298) 


THOR.  299 

Of  houses  roofed 
There  is  none  I  know 
My  son's*  surpassing. 

Thor's  chariot  is  drawn  by  two  goats,  called  Taimgu- 
jost  and  Tanngrisner.  It  is  from  his  driving  about  in 
this  chariot  he  is  called  Akethor  (charioteer-Thor).  He 
possesses  three  very  precious  articles.  The  first  is  a 
mallet  called  Mjolner,  which  both  the  frost  and  mount- 
ain giants  know  to  their  cost,  when  they  see  it  hurled 
against  them  in  the  air;  and  no  wonder,  for  it  has  split 
many  a  skull  of  their  fathers  and  kindred.  The  second 
rare  thing  he  possesses  is  called  the  belt  of  strength  or 
prowess  (Megingjarder).  When  he  girds  it  about  him 
his  divine  strength  is  redoubled.  The  third  precious 
article  which  he  possesses  is  his  iron  gauntlet,  which  he 
is  obliged  to  put  on  whenever  he  lays  hold  on  the  handle 
of  his  mallet.  No  one  is  so  wise  as  to  be  able  to 
relate  all  Thor's  marvelous  exploits. 

Now  the  reader  will  easily  comprehend  the  follow- 
ing beautiful  strophes  from  the  pen  of  Longfellow,f  who 
has  so  ingeniously  sprinkled  his  literature  with  dews 
from  Ygdrasil: 

I  am  the  god  Thor, 

I  am  the  war  god, 

I  am  the  Thunderei' ! 

Here  in  my  Northland, 

My  fastness  and  fortress. 

Reign  I  forever! 

Here  amid  icebergs 
Rule  I  the  nations ; 
This  is  my  hammer, 
Mjolner,  the  mighty 
Giants  and  sorcerers 
Cannot  withstand  it ! 

*  Thor's.  t  From  Tale>i  of  a  Wayside  In7i. 


300  THOE. 

These  are  the  gauntlets 
Wherewith  I  wield  it 
And  hurl  it  afar  off; 
This  is  my  girdle. 
Whenever  I  brace  it 
Strengtli  is  redoubled ! 

The  light  thou  beholdest 
Stream  through  the  heavens, 
In  flashes  of  crimson. 
Is  but  my  red  beard 
Blown  by  the  night-wind. 
Affrighting  the  nations. 
Jove  is  my  brother  ; 
Mine  eyes  are  the  lightning; 
The  wheels  of  my  chariot 
Roll  in  the  thunder. 
The  blows  of  my  hammer 
Ring  in  the  earthquake ! 
Force  rules  the  world  still, 
Has  ruled  it,  shall  rule  it ; 
Meekness  is  weakness. 
Strength  is  triumphant ; 
Over  the  whole  earth 
Still  is  Thor's-day ! 

Thor  is  the  father  of  Magne,  whose  mother  is  Jarn- 
saxa,  and  of  Mode.  He  is  the  husband  of  Sif  and  step- 
father of  Uller;  he  is  the  protector  of  Asgard  and  Mid- 
gard,  and  is  frequently  called  Midgardsveor ;  his  servants 
are  Thjalfe,  and  the  sister  of  the  latter,  Roskva.  Among 
Thor's  several  names  the  most  common  ones  are  Ving- 
thor,  Vingner,  and  Hlorride.  All  this  of  course  has  ref- 
erence to  him  as  the  god  of  thunder.  Thor,  as  has 
been  observed,  is  Jninarr,  thunder.  Thrudvang,  his  realm, 
is  the  heavy  compact  cloud,  where  he  reigns;  his  man- 
sion, Bilskirner  (bil-skirnir),  are  the  flashes  of  light- 
ning  that  for   a   moment   (bil*)  light  up    the    heavens; 

*  Bil  is  a  common  word  in  Norseland,  meaning  moment. 


SIF    AND    ULLER.  301 

his  goats,  Tanngnjost  (teeth-gnasher)  and  Tanngrisner 
(fire-flasliing  teeth),  symbolize  the  flashes  of  lightning, 
and  so  does  also  his  red  beard.  Mjolner,  his  hammer, 
is  the  crusher  (com]3are  the  English  word  mill*);  his 
belt,  Megingjarder,  is  the  girdle  of  strength ;  his  sons, 
Magne  and  Mode,  symbolize  strength  and  courage. 
Vingthor  is  the  flying  thunderstorm  and  Hlorride  is  he 
who  rides  in  the  flaming  chariot.  His  servant  Thjalfe 
is  the  busy  one,  and  Koskva  is  the  rapid  or  nimble  one. 
That  Thor  is  the  god  of  thunder  is  also  most  clearly 
shown  in  the  Younger  Edda,  where  it  is  related  that 
Thor  goes  on  foot  and  is  obliged  every  day  to  wade  the 
rivers  Kormt  and  Ormt,  and  two  others  called  Kerlaung, 
when  he  goes  to  sit  in  judgment  with  the  other  gods  at 
the  Urdar-fount,  and  cannot  ride,  as  do  the  other  gods. 
If  he  did  not  walk  as  he  goes  to  the  doomstead  under 
the  ash  Ygdrasil,  the  Asabridge  would  be  in  flames 
and  the  holy  waters  would  become  boiling  hot,  that  is, 
if  Thor  should  drive  over  Bifrost  in  his  thunder-chariot. 

Thor's  wife,  Sif,  is  another  symbol  of  the  earth. 
She  is  called  the  fair-haired.  Gold  is  called  Sif's  hair 
on  account  of  the  myth  already  related,  according  to 
which  Loke  cuts  off  her  hair  and  gets  dwarfs  to  foi'ge 
for  her  golden  locks.  The  interpreters  of  mythology 
are  not  willing  to  give  to  Sif  the  field  waving  Avith 
ripe  grain,  which  belongs  to  the  god  Frey,  being  sym- 
bolized by  his  boar  Goldenbristle,  but  say  that  Sif  is 
the  mountain  clad  with  grass,  in  contradistinction  to 
Jarnsaxa,  who  reigns  in  the  barren  deserts.  Hrungner, 
that  is,  the  naked  rock,  tried  to  win  the  favor  of  Sif, 
but  did  not  succeed. 

Uller  is  the  son  of  Sif  and  the  step-son  of  Thor. 
He  is  so  well  skilled  in  the  use  of  the  bow,  and  can  go 

*  But  see  also  Vocabulary,  under  the  word  Mjolner. 


302  THOR   AND   HRUNGNER. 

SO  fast  on  his  snow-skates  (slcaes),  that  in  these  arts  no 
one  can  contend  with  him.  He  is  also  very  handsome 
in  his  person  and  possesses  every  quality  of  a  warrior; 
wherefore  it  is  proper  to  invoke  him  in  single  combats. 
Uller's  mansion  is  Ydaler  (valleys  of  rain).  From  his 
running  on  skees  we  judge  that  he  is  a  personification 
of  winter,  and  if  the  artist  chooses  him  for  his  theme, 
he  must  represent  him  standing  on  snow-shoes,  clad  in 
a  winter-suit,  with  bow  and  arrow  in  his  hands.  We 
are  now  prepared  to  give  some  of  Thor's  adventures. 

SECTION   II.      THOR   AND   HRUNGNER. 

Thor  had  once  gone  eastward  to  crush  trolls,  but 
Odin  rode  on  his  horse,  Sleipner,  to  Jotunheim,  and 
came  to  a  giant  by  name  •  Hrungner.  Then  asked 
Hrungner  what  man  that  was,  who  with  a  helmet  of 
gold  rode  through  the  air  and  over  the  sea,  and  added 
that  it  was  an  extraordinarily  good  horse  he  had.  Odin 
replied  that  he  would  wager  his  head  that  so  good  a 
horse  could  not  be  found  in  Jotunheim.  Hrungner 
said  that  it  was  indeed  a  very  excellent  horse,  but  he 
had  one,  by  name  Goldfax  (gold-mane),  that  could  take 
much  longer  paces,  and  he  immediately  sprang  upon 
his  horse  and  galloped  away  after  Odin.  Odin  con- 
stantly kept  ahead,  but  Hrungner's  giant  nature  had 
become  so  excited  that  before  he  was  himself  aware  of 
it  he  had  come  within  the  gates  of  Asgard.  When  he 
came  to  the  door  of  the  hall  the  gods  invited  him  to 
drink,  which  as  soon  as  he  had  entered  he  demanded. 
Then  the  gods  set  before  him  the  bowls  out  of  which 
Thor  was  accustomed  to  drink,  and  them  he  emptied 
each  in  one  draught.  And  when  he  had  become  drunk, 
he  gave  the  freest  vent  to  his  loud  boastings.  He  was 
going  to  take  Valhal,  he  said,  and  carry  it  off  to  Jotun- 


THOR   AND    HRUNGNER.  303 

heim;  he  Avonld  demolish  Asgard  and  kill  the  gods, 
except  Freyja  and  Sif,  whom  he  wonld  take  home  with 
him ;  and  while  Freyja  was  pouring  the  celestial  bever- 
age into  the  bowls  for  him  he  remarked  that  he  was 
going  to  drink  np  all  the  ale  of  the  gods.  When  the 
gods  at  length  greAV  tired  of  his  arrogance,  they  named 
Thor,  who  immediately  came,  and  swung  his  hammer 
and  was  very  much  enraged,  and  asked  who  was  to 
blame  that  dogwise  giants  should  be  permitted  to  drink 
there,  or  who  had  given  safety  to  Hrungner  in  Valhal, 
and  why  Freyja  should  pour  ale  for  him  as  she  did  at 
the  feasts  of  the  gods.  Hrungner,  looking  at  Thor  with 
anything  but  a  friendly  eye,  answered  that  Odin  had 
invited  him  and  that  he  was  under  his  protection. 
Thor  said  that  Hrungner  should  come  to  rue  that 
invitation  before  he  came  out;  but  the  giant  answered 
that  it  would  be  but  little  honor  to  Asathor  to  kill 
him,  unarmed  as  he  was;  it  would  be  a  better  proof 
of  his  valor  if  he  dared  contend  with  him  at  the 
boundaries  of  his  territory,  at  Grjottungard  {Grjot- 
tunagar'bar).  Foolish  was  it  also  of  me,  continued 
Hrungner,  to  leave  my  shield  and  my  flint-stone  at 
home;  had  I  my  weapons  here  we  would  now  try  a 
holmgang;*  but  I  declare  you  to  be  a  coward  if  you 
kill  me  unarmed.  Thor  would  not  excuse  himself  from 
a  duel  when  he  was  challenged  out  on  a  holm;  this 
was  something  that  no  one  had  ever  offered  him  be- 
fore. Hrungner  now  went  his  way  and  hastened  home. 
This  journey  of  Hrungner  was  much  talked  of  by  the 
giants,  and  especially  did  his  challenge  of  "Thor  awaken 

♦Holmgang  (literally  ide-gang)  is  a  duel  taking  place  on  a  small  island. 
Each  combatant  was  attended  by  a  second,  who  had  to  protect  him  with  a 
shield.  The  person  challenged  had  the  right  to  strike  the  first  blow.  When 
the  opponent  was  wounded,  so  that  his  blood  stained  the  ground,  the  seconds 
might  interfere  and  put  an  end  to  the  combat.  He  that  was  the  first  wounded 
had  to  pay  the  holmgang  fine. 


304  THOR   AND    HRUNGNER, 

their  interest,  and  it  was  of  great  importance  to  them 
which  of  the  two  should  come  out  from  the  combat 
victorious.  For  if  Hrungner,  who  was  the  most  pow- 
erful among  the  giants,  should  be  conquered,  they 
might  look  for  nothing  but  evil  from  Tlior.  They 
therefore  made  at  Grjottungard  a  man  of  clay,  nine 
rasts  (miles?)  high  and  three  rasts  broad  between  the 
shoulders;  they  could  not  find  a  heart  corresponding 
to  his  size,  and  therefore  took  one  out  of  a  mare ;  but 
this  fluttered  and  trembled  when  Thor  came.  Hrung- 
ner had  a  heart  of  hard  stone,  sharp  and  three-cor- 
nered; his  head  was  also  of  stone,  and  likewise  his 
shield,  which  was  broad  and  thick,  and  this  shield  he 
held  before  himself  when  he  stood  at  Grjottungard 
waiting  for  Thor.  His  weapon  was  a  flint-stone,  which 
he  swung  over  his  shoulders,  so  that  it  was  no  trifle  to 
join  in  combat  with  him.  By  his  side  stood  the  clay- 
giant,  that  is  called  Mokkerkalfe  {MokkrkcUfi),  and  was 
so  extremely  terrified  that  the  sweat  poured  from  off 
him.  Thor  went  to  the  holmgang  together  with  Thjalfe, 
a  servant,  whom  he  had  got  from  a  peasant  by  the  sea. 
Thjalfe  ran  to  the  place  where  Hrungner  was  standing, 
and  said  to  him:  You  stand  unguarded,  giant;  you 
hold  the  shield  before  you,  but  Thor  has  seen  you;  he 
comes  with  violence  from  beneath  the  earth  and  attacks 
you.  Then  Hrungner  hastily  put  the  shield  beneath  his 
feet  and  stood  on  it,  but  he  seized  his  flint-stone  with 
both  hands.  Presently  he  saw  flashes  of  lightning  and 
heard  loud  crashings,  and  then  he  saw  Thor  in  his  asa- 
might,  rushing  forward  with  impetuous  speed,  swinging 
his  hammer  and  throwing  it  from  the  distance  against 
Hrungner.  The  latter  lifted  the  flint-stone  with  both 
his  hands  and  threw  it  with  all  his  might  against  the 
hammer;   the  two   met  in  the  air  and  the  flint-stone 


THOE    AND    HRUISTGNER.  305 

broke  into  two  pieces,  one  piece  of  which  fell  on  the 
ground  (and  hence  the  flint  mountains),  while  the  other 
fell  with  such  force  against  the  head  of  Thor  that  he 
fell  forward  to  the  ground;  but  the  hammer  Mjolner 
hit  Hrungner  right  in  the  head  and  crushed  his  skull 
into  small  pieces,  he  himself  falling  over  Thor,  so  that 
his  foot  lay  across  Thor's  neck.  Thjalfe  contended  with 
Mokkerkalfe,  who  fell  with  little  honor.  Then  Thjalfe 
went  over  to  Thor,  and  was  going  to  take  Hrungner's 
foot  away,  but  he  was  not  able  to  do  it.  Thereupon 
came  all  the  gods  to  Grjottungard,  when  they  had  learned 
that  Thor  had  fallen,  but  neither  was  any  one  of  them 
able  to  remove  the  foot  of  the  giant.  Then  came 
Magne  (inagni,  strength),  the  son  of  Thor  and  Jarn- 
saxa;  he  was  only  three  nights  old  and  he  threw 
Hrungner's  foot  off  from  Thor  saying:  It  was  a  great 
mishap,  father,  that  I  came  so  late ;  this  giant,  I  think, 
I  could  have  slain  with  my  fist.  Thor  stood  up  and 
lovingly  greeted  his  son,  adding  that  he  would  give 
him  the  giant's  horse  Goldfax ;  but  Odin  remarked  that 
this  was  wrongfully  done  of  Thor  to  give  the  son  of  a 
hag  {gygjar  syni,  son  of  Jarnsaxa)  and  not  his  father 
so  excellent  a  horse. 

Thor  returned  home  to  Thrudvang,  and  the  flint- 
stone  sat  fast  in  his  head.  Then  came  a  sorceress, 
whose  name  was  Groa,  wife  of  Orvandel  the  Wise ;  she 
sang  her  magic  songs  over  Thor  until  the  flint-stone 
became  loose.  But  when  Thor  perceived  this,  and  was 
just  expecting  that  the  stone  would  disappear,  he  desired 
to  reward  Groa  for  her  cure,  and  gladden  her  heart. 
He  accordingly  related  to  her  how  he  had  waded  from 
the  north  over  the  rivers  Elivagar  and  had  borne  Or- 
vandel on  his  back  in  a  basket  from  Jotunheim  ;  and 
in  evidence  he  told  her  that  one  toe  of  Orvandel  had 
26 


306  THOK   AND   HKUNGNER. 

protruded  from  the  basket  and  had  frozen,  wherefore  he 
had  broken  it  oS"  and  thrown  it  up  into  the  sky  and 
made  of  it  the  star  which  is  called  Orvandel's  toe. 
Finally  he  added  that  it  would  not  be  long  before  Or- 
vandel  would  come  home  again.  But  Groa  became  so 
delighted  with  this  news  that  she  forgot  all  her  magic 
songs  and  the  flint-stone  became  no  looser  than  it  was, 
and  it  sticks  fast  in  Thor's  head  yet.  Therefore  no  one 
must  throw  a  flint-stone  across  the  floor,  for  then  the 
stone  in  Thor's  head  is  move.d.  Thus  sings  the  Skald, 
Thjodolf  of  Hvin : 

We  have  ample  evidence 

Of  the  terrible  giant's  journey 

To  Grjottungard, 

With  berg-folks'  consuming  fire 

The  blood  boiled  in  Meile's  brother,* 

The  moon-land  trembled. 

When  earth's  son  went 

To  the  steel-gloved  contest. 

In  bright  flame  stood 

All  the  realms  of  the  sky 

For  Uller's  step-father, 

And  the  earth  rocked  ; 

To  pieces  flew  Svolner's  widow 

When  the  span  of  goats 

Drew  the  sublime  chariot 

And  its  divine  master 

To  the  meeting  with  Hrungner. 

The  most  prominent  feature  of  this  myth  is  the 
lightning  which  strikes  down  among  the  rocks  and 
splits  them.  Hrungner  (from  lirnga,  to  wrinkle,  to  heap 
up)  is  the  naked,  wrinkled  mountains  with  their  peaks. 
Everything  is  made  of  stone.  Hrungner's  heart  and 
head  and  shield  and  weapon  were  all  of  stone;   beside 

*A  name  for  Thor. 


THOR   AND   HEUNGNER.  307 

him  stands  the  cla3'ey  mountain  (Mokkerkalfe)  clad  in 
mist  {molckr),  and  the  contest  is  at  Grjottungard,  on  the 
boundary  of  the  stone-covered  held.  Thor  crushes  the 
mountain  to  make  way  for  agriculture.  Thjalfe  is  the 
untiring  labor,  which  prepares  the  rock  for  cultivation. 
He  advises  Hrungner  to  protect  himself  from  below 
with  his  shield.  The  cultivation  of  the  mountain  must 
begin  at  the  foot  of  it;  there  labors  the  industrious 
farmer.  When  he  looks  up  the  mountain  lifts  its  rocky 
head  like  a  huge  giant  of  stone,  but  the  clouds  gather 
around  the  giant's  head,  the  lightnings  flash  and  split 
it.  Thjalfe  may  also  be  regarded  as  a  concomitant  of 
the  thunderstorm,  and  would  then  represent  the  j^our- 
ing  rain,  as  Thor  had  got  him  from  a  peasant  by  the 
sea,  and  he  contends  with  the  mountain  of  clay,  from 
which  the  water  pours  down.  Thor's  forehead  may  also 
represent  the  face  of  the  earth,  from  which  he  rises  as 
the  son  of  earth,  and  we  know  that  Minerva  sprang 
forth  full-grown  and  equipped  from  the  brain  of  Zeus. 
Orvandel*  and  Groa  (to  grow)  refer  to  the  seed  sprout- 
ing (Orvandel)  and  growing.  Thor  carries  the  seed  in 
his  basket  over  the  ice-cold  streams  (Elivagar),  that  is, 
he  preserves  plant-life  through  the  winter;  the  sprout 
ventures  out  too  early  in  the  spring  and  a  toe  freezes 
off;  and  it  is  a  beautiful  idea  that  the  gods  make  shin- 
ing stars  of  everything  in  the  realm  of  giants  tliat  has 
become  useless  on  earth,  and  what  more  charming  theme 
can  the  painter  ask  for  than  Thor  carrying  on  his  divine 
shoulders  the  reckless  Orvandel  wading  through  the  ice 
streams  of  winter? 

Before  proceeding  to  the  next  myth,  we  will  pause 
here  for  a  moment  and  take  a  cursory  look  at  history,  to 
see  whether  a  few  outlines  of  it  do  not  find  their  com- 

*  Orvandel,  from  aur,  earth,  and  vendill,  the  sprout  (rondr),  ruler  =  the  seed. 


308  THOR  A]S"D   HRUNGKEE. 

pletest  reflection  in  this  stone-hearted  myth  about 
Hrungner  and  Thor. 

rirungner  on  his  horse  Goldfax,  racing  with  Odin  and 
Sleipner,  in  the  most  perfect  manner  represents  the 
Eoman  poetastry  reveling  in  the  wealtli  robbed  from  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  in  rivahy  with  the  genuine  Greek 
poetry  and  philosoph}^ ;  for  Sleipner  is  Pegasos ;  and 
when  the  Roman  poetasters  are  in  the  hight  of  their 
glory  Hrungner  is  entertained  at  Asgard,  drunk  and 
crazy,  bragging  and  swearing  that  he  will  put  all  the  gods 
to  death  excepting  Sif  (Fortuna)  and  Freyja  (Venus), 
destroy  Asgard  and  move  Valhal  to  Jotunheim  ;  or,  in 
other  words,  Venus  and  Fortuna  are  the  only  divinities 
that  shall  be  worshiped  ;  all  religion  (Asgard)  shall  be 
rooted  out  and  history  (Valhal)  shall  only  serve  to  glorify 
Kome. 

But  in  the  course  of  time  the  North  begins  to  take 
part  in  determining  the  destinies  of  the  world;  Thor 
comes  home,  and  shortly  afterwards  a  duel  is  fought 
between  the  Goth  and  Eoman  (Vandal)  in  which  Eome  is 
worsted,  which  could  not  be  expressed  more  fitly  than  by 
the  fortunate  blow  of  Mjolner,  which  crushes  the  stone- 
hearted  and  stone-headed  Giant  (Eoman  Vandalism). 

But  the  Goth  becomes  Eomanized,  he  becomes  a  slave 
of  Eoman  thought  and  Eoman  civilization,  and  thus 
Hrungner  falls  upon  Thor,  with  his  foot  upon  Thor's 
neck,  until  his  son  Magne  comes  and  takes  it  away. 
Magne  is  the  Anglo-Saxon  who  created  a  Gothic  Chris- 
tianity and  a  Gothic  book-speech  ;  and  well  might  the 
Anglo-Saxon  be  called  Magne,  son  of  Asathor  and  the 
hag  Jarnsaxa,  for  Magne  is  the  mythical  representation 
of  the  mechanical  arts,  which  have  received  their  most 
perfect  development  in  England  and  America  (the  Anglo- 
Saxons).    And  we  need  only  to  look  at  the  literature  of 


THOR   AND   HRUNGNER.  309 

England  and  America  to  observe  with  what  pleasure 
Magne  (the  Anglo-Saxon)  is  a  great  child,  who  rides  the 
horse  Goldfax  (the  Latin  language),  at  which  Odin  (the 
Goth)  may  well  complain  that  it  was  wrongfully  done, 
although  the  spirit  of  the  North  (Odin)  might  rather 
envy  the  horse  (Eomanism)  its  rider  than  the  rider  (the 
Anglo-Saxon)  his  horse. 

In  regard  to  the  piece  of  flint-stone  that  remained 
in  Thor's  forehead,  and  sticks  there  yet,  we  know,  alas ! 
that  it  is  too  true  that  the  schools  and  the  literature  of  all 
the  Teutonic  races  suffer  more  or  less  from  the  curse  of 
Eomanism;  and  this  they  suffer  in  spite  of  the  German 
sorceress  Groa  (Luther),  who  in  the  sixteenth  century 
loosened  the  ugly  Eoman  popery  in  Thor's  forehead 
without  his  getting  rid  of  it;  for  he  began  boasting  too 
soon,  and  Groa  (the  Lutheran  Eeformation)  became  so 
glad  on  account  of  her  husband  with  his  frozen  toe 
(German  scholasticism  and  soulless  philosophy  elevated  to 
the  skies),  that  she  forgot  not  her  Latin  but  her  magic 
Teutonic  songs ;  and  hence  we  look  in  vain  for  a  complete 
system  of  German  mythology  and  old  German  poetry. 

Who  the  Mokkerkalfe  who  assisted  Hrungner  is,  in 
this  picture,  it  is  difficult  to  say,  unless  it  be  the  Arab, 
and  he  may  well  be  called  a  brother  of  the  Eoman 
(Hrungner)  against  Thor.  The  Mokkerkalfe  had  a 
mare's  heart  in  him,  and  we  know  that  love  of  horses 
has  forever  been  a  characteristic  of  the  Arabs ;  and  the 
Frank,  who  defeated  the  Arab  on  the  historical  arena, 
must  then  be  Thjalfe,  who  was  a  servant  of  Thor. 

Thus  this  myth  is  disposed  of  and  its  application 
in  a  prophetic  sense  has  been  pointed  out.  It  is  not 
claimed  that  the  ancient  Norsemen  had  in  their  minds 
Arabs  and  Greeks  and  Eomans  and  Franks  and  Anglo- 
Saxons,  but  that  they  had   in  their  minds  a  profound 


310  THOE   AND    GEIREOD. 

comprehension  of  the  relations  of  things,  the  supreme 
law  'of  the  universe ;  and  history  is  but  the  reflection 
of  the  sublimest  riddles  in  nature. 

SECTIOlN'   III.       THOR   AND    GEIRROD.* 

It  is  worth  relating  how  Thor  made  a  journey  to 
Geirrodsgard  without  his  hammer  Mjolner,  or  belt 
Megingjarder,  or  his  iron  gloves;  and  that  was  Loke's 
fault.  For  when  Loke  once,  in  Frigg's  falcon-guise, 
flew  out  to  amuse  himself,  curiosity  led  him  to  Geirrods- 
gard, where  he  saw  a  large  hall.  He  sat  down  and 
looked  in  through  an  opening  in  the  wall,  but  Geirrod 
observed  him  and  ordered  one  of  his  servants  to  seize 
the  bird  and  bring  it  to  him.  But  the  wall  was  so 
high  that  it  Avas  difficult  to  climb  up,  and  it  amused 
Loke  that  it  gave  the  servant  so  much  trouble,  and  he 
thought  it  was  time  enough  to  fly  away  when  the  ser- 
vant had  got  over  the  worst.  As  the  latter  now  caught 
at  him,  he  spread  his  wings  and  made  efforts  (stritted) 
with  his  feet,  but  the  feet  were  fast,  so  that  he  was 
seized  and  brought  to  the  giant.  "When  the  latter  saw 
his  eyes  he  mistrusted  that  it  was  no  bird;  and  when 
Loke  was  silent  and  refused  to  answer  the  questions  put 
to  him,  Geirrod  locked  him  down  in  a  chest  and  let 
him  hunger  for  three  months.  Thus  Loke  finally  had 
to  confess  who  he  was,  and  to  save  his  life  he  had  to 
make  an  oath  to  Geirrod  that  he  should  get  Thor  to 
Geirrodsgard  without  his  hammer  or  his  l)elt  of  strength. 

On  the  way  Thor  visited  the  hag  Grid,  mother  of 
Vidar  the  Silent.  She  informed  him,  in  regard  to 
Geirrod,  that  he  was  a  dogwise  and  dangerous  giant,  and 
she  lent  him  her  belt  of  strength,  her  iron  gloves  and 
her  staff,  which  is  called  Gridarvold.     Thor  then  went  to 

*  This  Geirrod  must  not  be  confounded  witli  Odiu's  foster-son  Geirrod, 
son  of  Hraudung  (see  p.  228). 


THOR   AND    GEIRROD.  311 

the  river  Vimer,  which  is  exceedingly  large;  then  he 
buckled  the  belt  around  him  and  stemmed  the  wild 
torrent  with  his  staff,  but  Loke  and  Thjalfe  held  them- 
selves fast  in  the  belt.  When  he  had  come  into  the 
middle  of  the  river  it  grew  so  much  that  the  waves 
washed  over  his  shoulders.     Then  quoth  Thor: 

Wax  not,  Vimer, 
Since  to  wade  I  desire 
To  the  realms  of  giants  ! 
Know,  if  thou  waxest 
Then  waxes  my  asamight 
As  high  as  the  heavens ! 

Up  in  a  cleft  he  saw  Geirrod's  daughter,  Gjalp,  who 
stood  on  both  sides  of  the  stream  and  caused  its  growth  ; 
then  took  he  a  large  stone  and  threw  after  her.  At 
its  source  the  stream  must  be  stemmed,  and  he  always 
hit  what  he  ahiied  at.  At  the  same  time  he  reached 
the  land  and  got  hold  of  a  shrub,  and  so  he  escaped  out 
of  the  river ;  hence  comes  the  adage  that  a  shrub  saved 
Thor.  When  Thor  with  his  companions  had  now  come 
to  Geirrod,  lodgings  were  given  them  in  a  house,  but 
there  was  only  one  chair  in  it,  and  on  this  Thor  sat 
down.  Then  he  noticed  that  the  chair  was  raised  under 
him  toward  the  roof.  He  then  jDut  Grid's  staff  against 
the  beams  and  pressed  himself  down  against  the  chair ; 
then  a  noise  was  heard,  upon  Avhich  followed  a  great 
screaming,  for  Geirrod's  daughters,  Gjalp  and  Greip,  had 
been  sitting  under  the  chair  and  he  had  broken  the 
backs  of  both  of  them.      Then  quoth  Thor: 

Once  I  employed 

My  asamight 

In  the  realm  of  giants, 

When  Gjalp  and  Greip, 

Geirrod's  daughters. 

Wanted  to  lift  me  to  heaven. 


312  THOR   AND    SKKYMER. 

Then  Geirrod  invited  Thor  into  the  hall  to  see  games. 
Large  fires  burned  along  the  hall,  and  when  Thor  had 
come  opposite  to  Geirrod  the  latter  took  with  a  pair  of 
tongs  a  red-hot  iron  wedge  and  threw  it  after  Thor ;  he 
seized  it  with  the  iron  gloves  and  lifted  it  up  into  the 
air,  but  Geirrod  ran  behind  an  iron  post  to  defend  him- 
self. Thor  threw  the  wedge,  which  struck  through  the 
post  and  through  Geirrod  and  through  the  wall,  so  that 
it  went  outside  and  into  the  ground. 

Geirrod  is  the  intense  heat  which  produces  violent 
thunderstorms,  and  hence  his  daughter  the  violent  tor- 
rent. Of  course  Loke  (fire)  is  locked  up  and  starved 
through  the  hottest  part  of  the  summer;  but  this  myth 
needs  no  explanation,  and  we  proceed  to  the  next. 

SECTION    IV.       THOR   AND    SKRTMER. 

One  day  the  god  Thor,  accompanied  by  Loke,  set 
out  on  a  journey  in  his  car  drawn  by  his  goats.  Night 
coming  on,  they  put  up  at  a  peasant's  cottage,  when 
Thor  killed  his  goats,  and,  after  flaying  them,  put  them 
in  a  kettle.  When  the  flesh  was  boiled  he  sat  down 
with  his  fellow-traveler  to  supper,  and  invited  the  peasant 
and  his  wife  and  their  children  to  partake  of  the  repast. 
The  peasant's  son  was  named  Thjalfe,  and  his  daughter 
Eoskva.  Thor  bade  them  throw  all  the  bones  into  the 
goats'  skins,  which  were  spread  out  near  the  fireplace^ 
but  young  Thjalfe  broke  one  of  the  shank-bones  to 
come  at  the  marrow.  Thor  having  passed  the  night  in 
the  cottage,  rose  at  the  dawn  of  day,  and  when  he  had 
dressed  himself  he  took  his  hammer,  Mjolner,  and,  lift- 
ing it  up,  consecrated  the  goats'  skins,  which  he  had 
no  sooner  done  than  the  two  goats  reassumed  their 
wonted  form,  with  the  exception  that  one  of  them  now 
limped  on  one  of  its  hind  legs.     Thor,  perceiving  this. 


THOR  AND   SKRYMER.  313 

said  that  the  peasant  or  one  of  his  family  had  handled 
the   shank-bone    of   this   goat   too   roughly,  for   he  saw 
clearly  that  it  was  broken.     It  may  readily  be  imagined 
how   frightened   the    peasant   was,   when   he   saw   Thor 
knit  his  brows  and  seize  the  handle  of  his  hammer  with 
such  force  that  the  knuckles  of  his  fingers  grew  white 
with  the  exertion.     But  the  peasant,  as  we  might  expect, 
and   his  whole   family,  screamed   aloud,  sued   for  peace, 
and  offered  all   they  possessed  as   an  atonement  for  the 
offense  committed.     But  when  Thor  saw  their  fright  he 
desisted  from   his  wrath   and   became  appeased,  and  he 
contented  himself  by  requiring  their  children,  Thjalfe  and 
Eoskva,  who  thus  became  his  servants  and  have  accom- 
panied him  ever  since.     Thor  let  his  goats  remain  there, 
and  proceeded  eastward  on  the  way  to  Jotunheim  clear 
to  the  sea.      Then  he  went  across  the  deep  ocean,  and 
when  he  came  to  the  other  shore  he  landed  with  Loke, 
Thjalfe  and  Roskva.     They  had  traveled  but  a  short  dis- 
tance when  they  came  to  a  large  forest,  through  which 
they  wandered  until  night  set  in.    Thjalfe  was  exceedingly 
fleet-footed;   he   carried   Thor's   provision-sack,  but   the 
forest  was  a  bad  place  for  finding   anything   eatable  to 
stow  into   it.     When  it  had   become   dark   they  looked 
around  for  lodgings  for  the  night  and  found  a  house. 
It  was  very  large,  with  a  door  that  took  up  the  whole 
breadth  of  one  of  the  ends  of  the  building;    here  they 
chose  them  a  place  to  sleep  in.     At  midnight  they  were 
alarmed   by   a  great    earthquake.      The   earth    trembled 
beneath  them  and  the  whole  house  shook.     Then  Thor 
stood  up  and  called  his  companions  to  seek  with  him  a 
place  of  safety.      On  the  right  they  found  an  adjoining 
chamber,  into  which  they  entered ;  but  while  the  others, 
trembling  with  fear,  crept  into  the  farthest  corner  of  this 
retreat,  Tlior  remained  in  the  doorway,  with  his  hammer 
27 


314  THOK   AND    SKRTMER. 

in  his  hand,  prepared  to  defend  himself  whatever  might 
happen.  Then  they  heard  a  rumbhng  and  roaring. 
When  the  morning  began  to  dawn,  Thor  went  ont  and 
saw  a  man  lying  a  short  distance  from  the  house  in  the 
woods.  The  giant  was  large,  lay  sleeping,  and  snored 
loudly.  Then  Thor  could  understand  whence  the  noise 
had  come  in  the  night.  He  girded  himself  with  his 
belt  of  strength,  and  his  divine  strength  grew ;  at  the 
same  time  the  man  awoke  and  arose  hastily.  But  it  is 
related  that  Thor  on  this  occasion  became  so  amazed  that 
he  forgot  to  make  use  of  his  mallet;  he  asked  the  man 
for  his  name,  however.  The  latter  answered  that  his 
name  was  Skrymer;  but  your  name  I  do  not  need  to  ask 
about,  said  he;  I  know  you  are  Asathor;  but  what 
have  you  done  with  my  mitten?  Thereupon  Skrymer 
stretched  out  his  luxnd  and  picked  up  his  mitten,  which 
Thor  then  perceived  was  what  they  had  taken  over  night 
for  a  house,  the  chamber  where  they  hud  taken  refuge 
being  the  thumb.  Skrymer  asked  whether  Thor  wanted 
him  for  a  traveling  companion,  and  when  Thor  con- 
sented to  this,  Skrymer  untied  his  provision-sack  and 
began  to  eat  his  breakfast.  Thor  and  his  companions 
did  the  same  in  another  place.  Then  Skrymer  proposed 
that  they  should  put  their  provisions  together,  and  when 
Thor  gave  his  consent  to  this,  Skrymer  put  all  the  food 
into  one  sack  and  slung  it  on  his  back.  He  went  before 
them  all  day  with  tremendous  strides,  but  toward  evening 
he  sought  out  for  them  a  place  where  they  might  pass 
the  night,  beneath  a  large  oak.  Then  said  Skrymer  to 
Thor  that  he  was  going  to  lie  down  to  sleep;  the  others 
might  in  the  meantime  take  the  provision-sack  and  pre- 
pare their  supper.  Then  Skrymer  fell  asleep,  and  snored 
tremendously,  and  Thor  took  the  provision-sack  to  untie 
it;  .but,  incredible  though  it  may  appear,  not  a  single 


THOK   AND    SKEYMER.  315 

knot  could  he  untie,  nor  render  a  single  string  looser 
than  it  was  before.  Seeing  that  his  labor  was  in  vain, 
Thor  became  angry,  seized  the  hammer  Mjolner  with 
both  hands,  went  over  to  Skrymer  and  struck  him  on 
the  head.  But  Skrymer  awoke  and  asked  whether  there 
had  fallen  a  leaf  down  upon  his  head,  and  whether  they 
had  eaten  their  supper  and  Avere  ready  to  go  to  sleep  ? 
Thor  answered  that  they  were  just  going  to  sleep,  and 
went  to  lie  down  under  another  oak,  but  also  here  it  was 
dangerous  to  sleep.  At  midnight  Thor  again  heard  how 
fast  Skrymer  slept  and  snored,  so  outrageously  that  a 
thundering  noise  was  heard  through  the  v/hole  woods. 
Arising  he  went  over  to  the  giant,  swung  his  hammer 
with  all  his  might,  and  struck  him  right  in  the  skull, 
and  the  hammer  entered  the  head  clear  to  the  handle. 
Skrymer,  suddenly  awakening,  said:  What  is  the  mat- 
ter now?  Did  an  acorn  fall  down  upon  my  head? 
How  is  it  with  you,  Thor?  Thor  went  hastily  away 
and  said  that  he  had  just  waked  up;  it  was  midnight, 
he  said,  and  time  to  sleep.  Then  thought  he  that  if 
he  could  get  an  opportunity  to  give  the  giant  a  third 
blow  he  should  never  see  the  light  of  day  any  more, 
and  he  now  lay  watching  to  see  whether  Skrymer  was 
fast  asleep  again.  Shortly  before  day-break  he  heard 
that  the  giant  was  sleeping  again.  He  got  up,  has- 
tened over  to  him,  swung  his  hammer  with  all  his 
might,  and  gave  him  such  a  blow  on  the  temples  that 
the  head  of  the  hammer  was  buried  in  the  giant's  liead. 
Skrymer  arose,  stroked  his  chin  and  said:  Do  there  sit 
birds  above  me  in  the  tree  ?  It  seemed  to  me  as  I  awoke 
that  some  moss  fell  down  upon  me  out  of  the  boughs; 
but  are  you  awake,  Thor?  It  seems  to  me  that  it  is 
time  to  arise  and  dress,  and  you  have  not  now  a  long 
journey  to  the  castle  which  is  called  Utgard.      I  have 


316  ODII^   AND    SKRTMER. 

heard  you  have  whispered  among  yourselves  that  I  am 
not  small  of  stature,  but  you  shall  find  larger  men  when 
you  come  to  Utgard.  I  am  going  to  give  you  good 
advice:  do  not  brag  too  much.  Iltgard-Loke's  courtiers 
will  not  brook  the  boasting  of  such  insignificant  little 
fellows  as  you  are.  If  you  will  not  heed  this  advice 
you  had  better  turn  back,  and  that  is  in  fact  the  best 
thing  for  you  to  do.  But  if  you  are  determined  to 
go  further  then  hold  to  the  east;  my  way  lies  north- 
ward to  those  mountains  that  you  see  yonder.  Skry- 
mer  then  taking  the  provision-sack,  slung  it  on  his 
back  and  disappeared  in  the  woods,  and  it  has  never 
been  learned  whether  the  asas  wished  to  meet  him  again 
or  not. 

Thor  now  went  on  with  his  companions  till  it  was 
noon,  when  their  eyes  beheld  a  castle  standing  on  a 
great  plain,  and  it  was  so  high  that  they  had  to  bend 
their  neclvs  quite  back  in  order  to  be  able  to  look  over 
it.  They  advanced  to  the  castle;  there  was  a  gate  to 
the  entrance,  which  was  locked.  Thor  tried  to  open  it, 
but  could  not,  and  being  anxious  to  get  within  the 
castle  they  crept  between  the  bars  of  the  gate.  They 
saw  the  palace  before  them,  the  door  was  open,  and 
they  entered,  where  they  saw  a  multitude  of  men,  of 
whom  the  greater  number  were  immensely  large,  sitting 
on  two  benches.  Then  they  came  into  the  presence  of 
the  king,  Utgard-Loke,  and  saluted  him;  but  it  took 
some  time  before  he  would  deign  to  look  at  them,  and 
he  smiled  scornfully,  so  that  one  could  see  his  teeth, 
saying:  It  is  tedious  to  ask  for  tidings  of  a  long  jour- 
ney, but  if  I  am  not  mistaken  this  little  stripling  must 
be  Asathor;  perhaps,  however,  you  are  really  bigger 
than  you  look.  Well,  what  are  the  feats  that  you  and 
your  companions  are  skilled  in?      No  one  is  tolerated 


THOE   AND    SKRYMEK.  317 

among  us  here  unless  he  distinguishes  himself  by  some 
art  or  accomplishment.  Then  said  Loke :  I  understand 
an  art,  of  which  I  am  prepared  to  give  proof,  and  that 
is,  that  there  is  none  here  who  can  eat  his  food  as  fast 
as  I  can.  To  this  Utgard-Loke  made  reply :  Truly  that 
is  an  art,  if  yon  can  achieve  it,  which  we  shall  now  see. 
He  called  to  the  men,  who  sat  on  one  end  of  the  bench, 
that  he,  whose  name  was  Loge  (flame),  should  come 
out  on  the  floor  and  contend  with  Loke.  A  trough 
was  brought  in  full  of  meat.  Loke  seated  himself  at 
one  end  and  Loge  at  the  other ;  both  ate  as  fast  as  they 
could  and  met  in  the  middle  of  the  trough.  Loke  had 
picked  the  meat  from  the  bones,  but  Loge  had  con- 
sumed meat,  bones  and  trough  all  together ;  and  now 
all  agreed  that  Loke  was  beaten.  Then  asked  Utgard- 
Loke,  what  that  young  man  could  do.  It  was  Thjalfe. 
He  answered,  that  he  would  run  a  race  with  any  one 
that  Utgard-Loke  would  appoint.  Utgard-Loke  replied 
that  this  was  a  splendid  feat,  but  added  that  he  must 
be  very  swift  if  he  expected  to  win,  but  they  should 
see,  for  it  would  soon  be  decided.  Utgard-Loke  arose 
and  went  out;  there  was  a  very  good  race-course  on 
the  level  field.  Then  he  called  a  little  fellow,  by  name 
Huge  (thought)  and  bade  him  race  with  Thjalfe.  The 
first  time  they  ran  Huge  was  so  much  in  advance  that 
at  the  turning  back  in  the  course  he  met  Thjalfe.  You 
must  ply  your  legs  better,  Thjalfe,  said  Utgard-Loke,  if 
you  expect  to  win,  though  I  must  confess  that  there 
never  came  a  man  here  swifter  of  foot  than  you  are. 
They  ran  a  second  time,  but  when  Huge  came  to  the 
end  and  turned  around,  Thjalfe  Avas  a  full  bow-shot 
from  the  goal.  Well  run,  both  of  you,  said  Ut- 
gard-Loke, but  I  think  Thjalfe  will  hardly  win,  but  the 
third    race    shall    decide    it.      They   accordingly    ran   a 


318  THOR   AISTD    SKRYMER. 

third  time,  but  Huge  had  already  reached  the  goal 
before  Thjalfo  had  got  half-way.  Then  all  who  were 
present  cried  out  that  there  had  been  sufficient  trial  of 
skill  in  this  art.  Utgard-Loke  then  asked  Thor  in  Avhat 
arts  he  would  choose  to  give  proof  of  his  skill  for 
which  he  was  so  famous.  Thor  answered  that  he  pre- 
ferred to  contend  in  drinking  with  any  one  that  wished. 
Utgard-Loke  consented,  and  entering  the  palace  he  called 
his  cup-bearer,  and  bade  him  bring  the  large  horn  which 
his  courtiers  were  obliged  to  drink  out  of  when  they 
had  trespassed  in  any  way  against  established  usage. 
The  cup-bearer  brought  the  horn,  gave  it  to  Thor,  and 
Utgard-Loke  said:  Whoever  is  a  good  drinker  will  empty 
that  horn  at  a  single  draught,  though  some  men  make 
two  of  it;  but  there  is  no  so  wretched  drinker  that  he 
cannot  exhaust  it  at  the  third  draught.  Thor  looked 
at  the  horn  and  thought  it  was  not  large,  though  tol- 
erably long;  however,  as  he  was  very  thirsty  he  set  it 
to  his  lips,  and  without  drawing  breath  drank  as  long 
and  as  deep  as  he  could,  in  order  that  he  might  not  be 
obliged  to  make  a  second  draught  of  it.  But  when  his 
brdath  gave  way  and  he  set  the  horn  down,  he  saw  to 
his  astonishment  that  there  was  little  less  of  the  liquor 
in  it  than  before.  Utgard-Loke  said:  That  is  well 
drunk,  but  not  much  to  boast  of;  I  should  never  have 
believed  but  that  Asathor  could  have  drunk  more ;  how- 
ever, of  this  I  am  confident,  you  will  emj)ty  it  at  the 
second  draught.  Thor  made  no  reply,  but  put  the  horn 
to  his  mouth  and  drank  as  long  as  he  had  breath,  but 
the  point  of  the  horn  did  not  rise  as  he  expected;  and 
when  he  withdrew  the  horn  from  his  mouth  it  seemed 
to  him  that  its  contents  had  sunk  less  this  time  than 
the  first;  still  the  horn  could  now  be  carried  without 
spilling,     Utgard-Loke  said :    How  now,  Thor,  have  you 


THOR   AND   SKRYMER.  319 

not  saved  for  the  tliird  draught  more  than  yon  can  make 
away  with  ?  You  must  not  spare  yourself  more  in  per- 
forming a  feat  than  befits  your  skill,  but  if  you  mean 
to  drain  the  horn  at  the  third  draught  you  must  drink 
deeply.  You  will  not  be  considered  so  great  a  man 
here  as  you  are  thought  to  be  among  the  asas  if  you 
do  not  show  greater  skill  in  other  games  than  you  ap- 
pear to  have  shown  in  this.  Then  Thor  became  angry, 
put  the  horn  to  his  mouth,  and  drank  with  all  his 
might,  so  as  to  empty  it  entirely;  but  on  looking  into 
the  horn  he  found  that  its  contents  had  lessened  but 
little,  upon  which  he  resolved  to  make  no  further  at- 
tempt, but  gave  back  the  horn  to  the  cup-bearer.  Then 
said  Utgard-Loke:  It  is  now  plain  that  your  strength 
is  not  so  great  as  we  thought  it  to  be.  Will  you  try 
some  other  games,  for  we  see  that  you  cannot  succeed 
in  this?  Yes,  said  Thor,  I  Avill  try  something  else,  but 
I  am  sure  that  such  draughts  as  I  have  been  drinking 
would  not  have  been  counted  small  among  the  asas,  but 
what  new  trial  have  you  to  propose?  Utgard-Loke 
answered:  We  have  a  very  trifling  game  here,  in  which 
we  exercise  none  but  children.  Young  men  think  it 
nothing  but  play  to  lift  my  cat  from  the  ground,  and  I 
should  never  have  proposed  this  to  Asathor  if  I  had  not 
already  observed  that  you  are  by  no  means  what  we 
took  you  for.  Thereupon  a  large  gray  cat  ran  out  upon 
the  floor.  Thor  advancing  put  his  hand  under  the  cat's 
body  and  did  his  utmost  to  raise  it  from  the  floor,  but 
the  cat,  bending  its  back  in  the  same  degree  as  Thor 
lifted,  had  notwithstanding  all  Thor's  eff"orts  only  one 
of  its  feet  lifted  up,  seeing  which  Thor  made  no  fur- 
ther effort.  Then  said  Utgard-Loke:  The  game  has 
terminated  just  as  I  expected;  the  cat  is  large,  but 
Thor  is  small  and  little  compared  with  our  men.     Then 


320  THOR   AND    SKRTMER. 

said  Thor :  Little  as  you  call  me  I  challenge  any  one  to 
wrestle  with  me,  for  now  I  am  angry.  I  see  no  one  here, 
replied  Utgard-Loke,  looking  around  on  the  benches, 
who  would  not  think  it  beneath  him  to  wrestle  with 
you;  but  let  somebody  call  hither  that  old  woman,  my 
nurse,  Elle  (old  age),  and  let  Thor  prove  his  strength 
with  her,  if  he  will.  She  has  thrown  to  the  ground 
many  a  man  not  less  strong  and  mighty  than  Thor  is. 
A  toothless  old  Avoman  then  entered  tlie  hall  and  she 
was  told  by  Utgard-Loke  to  wrestle  with  Thor.  To  cut 
the  story  short,  the  more  Thor  tiglitened  his  hold  the 
firmer  she  stood.  Finally,  after  a  violent  struggle,  Thor 
began  to  lose  his  footing,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
he  was  brought  down  on  one  knee.  Then  Utgard-Loke 
stepped  forward  and  told  them  to  stop,  adding  that  Thor 
had  now  no  occasion  to  ask  anyone  else  in  the  hall  to 
wrestle  with  him,  and  it  was  also  getting  late.  He 
therefore  showed  Thor  and  his  companions  to  their 
seats,  and  they  passed  the  night  there  enjoying  the  best 
of  hospitality. 

The  next  morning,  at  break  of  day,  Thor  and  his 
companions  arose,  dressed  themselves  and  prepared  for 
their  departure.  Utgard-Loke  then  came  and  ordered  a 
table  to  be  set  for  them,  on  which  there  wanted  no  good 
provisions,  either  meat  or  drink.  When  they  had  break- 
fasted they  set  out  on  their  way.  Utgard-Loke  accom- 
panied them  out  of  the  castle,  and  on  parting  he  asked 
Thor  how  he  thought  his  journey  had  turned  out,  and 
whether  he  had  found  any  man  more  mighty  than  him- 
self. Thor  answered  that  he  could  not  deny  that  he 
had  brought  great  dishonor  upon  himself;  and  what 
mortifies  me  the  most,  he  added,  is  that  you  will  con- 
sider me  a  man  of  little  importance.  Then  said  Utgard- 
Loke:  Now  I  will  tell  you  the  truth,  since  you  are  out 


THOR   AND    SKRYMER.  321 

of  my  castle,  where  as  long  as  I  live  and  reign  you 
shall  never  re-enter,  and  you  may  rest  assured  that  had 
I  jinown  before  what  might  you  possessed,  and  how  near 
you  came  plunging  us  into  great  trouble,  I  would  not 
have  permitted  you  to  enter  this  time.  Know  then  that 
I  have  all  along  deceived  you  by  my  illusions ;  first,  in 
the  forest,  where  I  arrived  before  you,  and  there  you 
were  unable  to  untie  the  provision-sack,  because  I  had 
bound  it  with  tough  iron  wire  in  such  a  manner  that  you 
could  not  discover  how  the  knot  ought  to  be  loosened. 
After  this  you  gave  me  three  blows  with  your  hammer; 
the  first  one,  though  it  was  the  least,  would  have  ended 
my  days  had  it  fallen  on  me,  but  I  brought  a  rocky 
mountain  before  me,  which  you  did  not  perceive ;  but 
you  saw  near  my  castle  a  mountain  in  which  were 
three  square  glens,  the  one  deeper  than  the  other,  and 
those  were  the  marks  of  your  hammer.  I  have  made 
use  of  similar  illusions  in  the  contests  you  have  had 
with  my  courtiers.  In  the  first,  Loke  was  hungry  and 
devoured  all  that  was  set  before  him,  but  Loge  was  in 
reality  nothing  else  but  wild-fire,  and  therefore  con- 
sumed not  only  the  meat,  but  the  trough  which  con- 
tained it.  Huge,  with  whom  Thjalfe  contended  in 
running,  was  my  thought,  and  it  was  impossible  for 
Thjalfe  to  keep  pace  with  it.  When  you  tried  to  empty 
the  horn  you  performed  indeed  an  exploit  so  marvelous 
that  had  I  not  seen  it  myself  I  should  never  have 
believed  it.  The  one  end  of  the  horn  stood  in  the  sea, 
which  you  did  not  perceive,  and  when  you  come  to  the 
shore  you  will  see  how  much  the  ocean  has  diminished 
by  what  you  drank.  This  is  now  called  the  ebb.  You 
performed  a  feat  no  less  wonderful  when  you  lifted  the 
cat,  and,  to  tell  the  truth,  when  we  saw  that  one  of  his 
paws  Avas  off  the  floor  we  were  all  of  us  terror-stricken. 


322  THOK   AND  HYMER. 

for  what  you  took  for  a  cat  was  in  reality  the  great 
Midgard-serpent,  that  encompasses  the  whole  earth,  and 
he  was  then  barely  long  enough  to  inclose  it  between 
his  head  and  tail,  so  high  had  your  hand  raised  him  up 
toward  heaven.  Your  wrestling  with  Elle  was  also  a 
most  astonishing  feat,  for  there  never  yet  was,  nor  will 
there  ever  be,  a  man  for  whom  Old  Age  (for  such  in 
fact  was  Elle)  will  not  sooner  or  later  lay  low,  if  he 
abides  her  coming.  But  now,  as  we  are  going  to  part, 
let  me  tell  you  that  it  will  be  better  for  both  of  us  if 
you  never  come  near  me  again,  for  should  you  do  so  I 
shall  again  defend  myself  with  other  illusions,  so  that 
you  will  never  prevail  against  me.  On  hearing  these 
words  Thor  grasped  his  hammer,  and  lifted  it  into  the 
air,  but  as  he  was  about  to  strike  Utgard-Lok^  was 
nowhere,  and  when  he  turned  back  to  the  castle  to 
destroy  it,  he  saw  only  beautiful  verdant  plains  around 
him  and  no  castle.  He  therefore  retraced  his  steps  with- 
out stopping  till  he  came  to  Thrudvang.  But  he  had 
already  resolved  to  make  that  attack  on  the  Midgard- 
serpent,  which  afterwards  took  place. 

It  is  said  in  the  Younger  Edda  that  no  one  can  tell 
anything  more  true  of  this  journey  of  Thor's,  but  if  the 
reader  wants  to  see  the  most  beautiful  thing  that  has 
been  said  about  this  journey,  he  must  learn  Danish  and 
read  CEienschlseger's  poem  entitled  Thor's  Journey  to 
Jotunheim.*  We  have  only  to  add  that  as  the  asas  had 
their  Loke,  so  the  giants  had  their  Utgard-Loke. 

SECTION   V.      THOR   AND   THE   MIDGARD-SERPENT. 

The  gods  were  having  a  feast  at  ^ger's,  and  could 
not  get  enough  to  eat  and  drink.     The  reason  was  that 

*The  next  best  thing  is  William  Edward  Frye's  translation  of  CElen- 
schlaeger'B  work  entitled  The  Gods  of  the  North.    London,  1845. 


THOR   AND    HYMER.  323 

Mger  was  in  want  of  a  kettle  for  brewing  ale.  He 
asked  Thor  to  go  and  fetch  it,  but  neither  the  asas 
nor  the  vans  knew  where  it  could  be  found,  before 
Tyr  said  to  Thor:  East  of  the  rivers  Elivagar,  near 
the  borders  of  heaven,  dwells  the  dogwise  Hynier,  and 
this  my  father  has  a  kettle  which  is  strong  and  one 
rast  (mile)  deep.  Do  you  think  we  can  get  it?  said 
Thor.  Yes,  by  stratagem  it  may  be  gotten,  answered 
Tyr,  Tyr,  and  Thor  under  the  semblance  of  a  young 
man,  now  started  out  and  traveled  until  they  came  to 
Egil.  With  him  they  left  the  goats  and  proceeded 
further  to  Hymer's  hall,  and  we  shall  presently  see  how 
Thor  made  amends  for  his  journey  to  Utgard-Loke.  At 
Hymer's  hall  Tyr  found  his  grandmother,  an  ugly 
gianl;ess  with  nine  hundred  heads,  but  his  mother,  a 
beautiful  woman,  brought  him  a  drink.  She  advised 
her  guests  to  conceal  themselves  under  the  kettles  in 
the  hall,  for  her  husband  was  sometimes  cruel  toward 
strangers.  Hymer  came  home  from  his  fishing  late  in 
the  evening ;  the  jokuls  resounded  as  he  entered  the 
hall,  and  his  beard  was  full  of  frost.  I  greet  you  wel- 
come home,  Hymer,  said  the  woman ;  our  son,  whom 
we  have  been  so  long  expecting,  has  now  come  home  to 
your  halls,  and  in  company  with  him  is  the  enemy  of 
the  giants  and  the  friend  of  man,  Veor  {i.  e.  Asgardsveor, 
the  protector  of  Asgard).  See  how  they  have  concealed 
themselves  at  the  gable  end  of  the  hall,  behind  the  post 
yonder.  Hymer  threw  a  glance  in  the  direction  pointed 
out  by  his  wife,  and  the  post  instantly  flew  into  shivers 
at  the  look  of  the  giant,  the  beam  broke,  and  eight  ket- 
tles fell  down;  one  was  so  hard  and  strong  that  it  did 
not  break  in  falling.  The  gods  came  forth,  and  straight 
the  old  giant  gazed  at  his  enemy.  It  was  no  pleasant 
sight  to  see  Thor  before  him,  but  still  he  ordered  three 


324  THOK    AJSTD    HYMER. 

steers  to  be  killed  and  served  on  the  table.  Thor  alone 
ate  two.  This  meal  seemed  to  the  friend  of  Hrungner 
somewhat  extravagant,  and  he  remarked  that  the  next 
evening  they  would  have  to  live  on  fish.  The  following 
morning,  at  break  of  day,  when  Thor  perceived  that 
Hymer  was  making  his  boat  ready  for  fishing,  he  arose 
and  dressed  himself,  and  begged  the  giant  to  let  him  row 
oat  to  sea  with  him,  Hymer  answered  that  such  a  puny 
stripling  as  he  was  could  be  of  no  use  to  him ;  besides,  he 
said,  you  will  catch  your  death  of  cold  if  I  go  so  far  out 
and  remain  as  long  as  I  am  accustomed  to  do.  Thor  said 
that  for  all  that  he  would  row  as  far  from  the  land  as 
Hymer  had  a  mind,  and  was  not  sure  which  of  them 
would  be  the  first  who  might  wish  to  row  back  again. 
At  the  same  time  he  was  so  enraged  that  he  was  much 
inclined  to  let  his  hammer  ring  at  the  giant's  skull 
without  further  delay,  but  intending  to  try  his  strength 
elsewhere  he  subdued  his  wrath,  and  asked  Hymer  what 
he  meant  to  bait  with.  Hymer  told  him  to  look  out  for 
a  bait  himself.  Thor  instantly  went  up  to  a  herd  of 
oxen  that  belonged  to  the  giant,  and  seizing  the  largest 
bull,  that  bore  the  name  Himinbrjoter  (heaven-breaker), 
wrung  off  his  head,  and  returning  with  it  to  the  boat, 
put  out  to  sea  with  Hymer.  Thor  rowed  aft  with  two 
oars,  and  with  such  force  that  Hymer,  who  rowed  at  the 
prow,  saw  with  surprise  how  swiftly  the  boat  was  driven 
forward.  He  then  observed  that  they  were  come  to  the 
place  where  he  was  wont  to  angle  for  flat-fish,  but  Thor 
assured  him  that  they  had  better  go  on  a  good  way  fur- 
ther. They  accordingly  continued  to  ply  their  oars,  until 
Hymer  cried  out  that  if  they  did  not  stop  they  Avould  be 
in  danger  from  the  great  Midgard-serpent.  Notwith- 
standing this,  Thor  persisted  in  rowing  further,  and  in 
spite  of  Hymer's  remonstrances  it  was  a  long  time  before 


THOR   AND    HYMER.  325 

he  would  lay  down  his  oars.  When  they  finally  stopped, 
Hymer  soon  drew  up  two  whales  at  once  with  his  bait. 
Then  Thor  took  out  a  fishing-line,  extremely  strong, 
made  with  wonderful  art  and  furnished  with  an  equally 
strong  hook,  on  which  he  fixed  the  bull's  head  and  cast 
his  line  into  the  sea.  The  bait  soon  reached  the  bottom, 
and  it  may  be  truly  said  that  Thor  then  deceived  the 
Midgard-serpent  not  a  whit  less  than  Utgard-Loke  had 
deceived  Thor  wh-en  he  obliged  him  to  lift  up  the  ser- 
pent in  his  hand;  for  the  monster  greedily  caught  at 
the  bait  and  the  hook  stuck  fast  in  his  palate.  Stung 
with  the  pain,  the  serpent  tugged  at  the  hook  so  violently 
that  Tlior  was  obliged  to  hold  fast  with  both  hands  in 
the  pegs  that  bear  against  the  oars.  But  his  wrath  now 
waxed  high,  and  assuming  all  his  divine  power  he  pulled 
so  hard  at  the  line  that  his  feet  forced  their  way  through 
the  boat  and  went  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  while 
with  his  hands  he  drew  up  the  serpent  to  the  side  of  the 
vessel.  It  is  impossible  to  express  by  words  the  scene 
that  now  took  place.  Thor  on  the  one  hand  darting 
looks  of  wrath  at  the  serpent,  while  the  monster  on  the 
other  hand,  rearing  his  head,  spouted  out  floods  of  venom 
upon  him.  When  the  giant  Hymer  beheld  the  serpent 
he  turned  pale  and  trembled  with  fright,  and  seeing 
moreover  that  the  water  was  entering  his  boat  on  all 
sides,  he  took  out  his  knife,  just  as  Thor  raised  his 
hammer  aloft,  and  cut  the  line,  on  which  the  serpent 
sank  again  under  water.  According  to  another  version 
the  valiant  Thor  hauled  the  venom-spotted  serpent  up 
to  the  edge  of  the  boat,  his  hands  struck  against  the 
side  of  the  boat  and  with  both  his  feet  he  stepped 
through,  so  that  he  stood  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 
With  his  hammer  he  struck  the  serpent  in  the  forehead; 
the   mountains  thundered,   the   caves    howled,   and   the 


326  THOK    AND    HYMER, 

whole  old  earth  shrank  together ;  but  the  serpent  sank  to 
the  bottom,  for  at  the  sight  of  it  the  giant  became  so 
terrified  that  he  cut  the  line.  Then,  according  to  both 
versions,  Thor  struck  Hymer  such  a  blow  on  the  ear 
with  his  fist  that  the  giant  fell  headlong  into  the  water. 
The  giant  was  not  glad  when  they  rowed  back.  While 
he  carried  his  two  whales,  Thor  took  the  boat,  with 
oars  and  all,  and  carried  it  to  the  house  of  the  giant. 
Then  the  giant  challenged  Thor  to  show  another  evidence 
of  his  strength  and  requested  him  to  break  his  goblet. 
Thor,  sitting,  threw  it  through  some  large  posts,  but 
it  was  brought  whole  to  the  giant.  But  Thor's  fair 
friend  gave  him  friendly  advice :  Throw  it  against  the 
forehead  of  Hymer,  said  she,  it  is  harder  than  any 
goblet.  Then  Thor  assumed  his  asastrength.  The 
giant's  forehead  remained  whole,  but  the  round  wine- 
goblet  was  broken.  The  giant  had  lost  a  great  treasure ; 
that  drink,  said  he,  was  too  hot;  but  there  yet  remained 
for  Thor  one  trial  of  his  strength,  and  that  was  to  bring 
the  kettle  out  of  his  hall.  Twice  Tyr  tried  to  lift  it,  but 
it  was  immovable.  Then  Thor  himself  took  hold  of  it 
at  the  edge  with  so  great  force  that  he  stepped  through 
the  floor  of  the  hall;  the  kettle  he  lifted  onto  his  head, 
and  its  rings  rung  at  his  heels.  They  had  gone  a  long 
distance  before  Odin's  son  looked  back  and  saw  a  many- 
headed  multitude  rushing  impetuously  from  the  caves 
with  Hymer.  Then  he  lifted  the  kettle  from  his  shoul- 
ders, swung  the  murderous  Mjolner  and  slew  all  the 
mountain-giants.  After  that  he  proceeded  to  Egil,  where 
he  had  left  his  goats ;  and  he  had  not  gone  far  thence 
before  one  of  the  goats  dropped  down  half  dead.  It  was 
lame,  and  we  remember  from  a  previous  myth  that  a 
peasant  near  the  sea  had  to  give  Thor  his  son  Thjalfe  and 
daughter  Roskva  as  bond-servants  for  laming  one  of  his 


THOR   AND    HYMER.  337 

goats.  Thor  iinally  came  to  the  feast  of  the  gods  and 
had  the  kettle  with  him,  and  there  was  nothing  now  to 
hinder  yEger  from  furnishing  ale  enough  at  the  feast, 
that  he  prepared  for  the  gods  at  every  harvest  time. 

This  myth  forms  the  subject  of  the  lay  of  Hymer 
in  the  Elder  Edda.  The  whole  myth  of  course  repre- 
sents the  thunderstorm  in  conflict  with  the  raging 
sea;  but  a  historical  counterpart  of  this  struggle  of 
Thor  with  Hymer  and  the  Midgard-serpent  is  so  forci- 
bly suggested  that  we  cannot  omit  it.  It  is  Luther's 
struggle  with  the  pope  and  Eomanism.  Luther,  the 
heroic  Thor,  saw  his  enemy,  but  did  not  strike  just  in 
the  right  time  and  in  the  right  way,  and  the  golden 
opportunity  was  lost  after  Hymer  (the  pope)  had  sev- 
ered the  fishing-line ;  that  is,  after  the  old  memories 
were  destroyed,  when  the  golden  line  connecting  the 
Germans  with  their  poetic  dawn  had  been  divided,  and 
Eomanism,  with  blood-stained  breast,  with  close  em- 
brace first  twined  around  the  whole  school  system  of 
Germany  and  north  Europe,  and  horribly  mangled  their 
grand  mission  with  its  fangs,  and  then  seized  the  Teu- 
tonic Laocoon  and  his  sons  and  bound  their  unsophisti- 
cated Teutonic  hearts  in  its  mighty  folds.  Ay,  this 
Roman  Midgard-serpent,  with  its  licentiousness,  arro- 
gance, despotism,  unbridled  ambition,  unbounded  ego- 
tism, dry  reasoning  and  soulless  philosophy,  has  grasped 
the  Goth  twice,  yes  thrice,  about  the  middle,  and 
winding  its  scaly  back  thrice  around  his  neck,  has  over- 
topped him.  In  vain  he  has  striven  to  tear  asunder 
its  knotted  and  gory  spires.  He  can  but  shriek  to 
heaven  for  help,  and  may  Thor  hear  his  cry  and  come 
to  his  rescue !  May  Thor  next  time  embark  well  armed 
with  his  gloves  and  belt  and  hammer;  but  he  had  bet- 
ter leave  the  giant  slain  on   shore.     Yet  Luther  did  a 


328  THOR   AKD   THRYM. 

noble  work.  Although  his  first  intention  was  to  leave 
the  giant  unmolested,  and  only  take  his  kettle  from 
him,  still,  when  he  found  a  determined  opposition  threat- 
ening, he  turned  around,  set  down  his  kettle,  and  slew 
both  the  giant  and  the  many-headed  multitude  (pope, 
cardinals,  bishops,  etc.)  that  followed  him.  But  Luther 
erred  in  not  establishing  a  thoroughly  Teutonic  in  place 
of  a  Romanic  school  system.  Thus  he  left  his  great 
work  only  half  finished.  If  he  had  made  good  use  of 
his  hammer  at  the  time,  much  valuable  knowledge  about 
our  Teutonic  ancestors  might  have  been  collected  and 
preserved  which  now  is  lost  forever. 

SECTION   VI.       THOR   AND   THRYM. 

This  is  a  very  beautiful  myth,  and  we  will  give  it 
complete  as  it  is  found  in  the  Elder  Edda,  in  the  lay 
of  Thrym.     We  give  our  own  translation : 

Wrathful  was  Vingtlior 
As  lie  awaked 
And  his  hammer 
Did  miss ; 
His  beard  shook, 
His  hair  trembled, 
The  son  of  earth 
Looked  around  him. 

Thus  first  of  all 

He  spoke : 

Mark  now  Loke 

What  I  say! 

What  no  one  knows 

Either  on  earth 

Or  in  high  heaven, — 

The  hammer  is  stolen. 

Went  they  to  Freyja's 
Fair  dwelling ; 


THOR   AND   THRYM.  329 

There  in  these  words 
Thor  first  spoke : 
Wilt  thou,  Freyja,  lend 
Me  thy  feather-guise, 
That  I  my  hammer 
Mjolner  may  fetch? 

I  gave  it  thee  gladly 
Though  it  were  of  gold; 
I  would  instantly  give  it 
Though  it  were  of  silver. 

Flew  then  Loke  — 

The  feather-guise  whizzed ; 

Out  he  flew 

From  home  of  asas, 

In  he  flew 

To  home  of  giants. 

On  the  hill  sat  Thrym ; 
The  king  of  giants 
Twisted  gold-bands 
For  his  dogs, 
Smoothed  at   leisure 
The  manes  of  his  horses. 

thrym: 
How  fare  the  asas? 
How  fare  the  elves? 
Why  comest  thou  alone 
To  Jotunheim? 

LOKE  : 
HI  fare  the  asas, 
111  fare  the  elves. 
Hast  thou  concealed 
The  hammer  of   Thor?  ^ 

thrym: 
I  have  concealed 
The  hammer  of  Thor 
Eight  rasts 
Beneath  the  ground ; 
28 


330  THOR   AND   THRYM. 

No  man 
Brings  it  back 
Unless  be  gives  me 
Freyja  as  my  bride. 

Flew  tben  Loke — 

The  feather-guise  whizzed ; 

Out  he  flew 

From  home  of  giants, 

In  he  flew 

To  home  of  asas. 

Met  him  Thor 

First  of  all 

And  thus  addressed  him: 

Hast  thou  succeeded 
In  doing  thine  errand? 
Then  tell  before  perching 
Long  messages; 
What  one  says  sitting 
Is  often  of  little  value, 
And  falsehood  speaks  he 
Who  reclines. 

LOKK  : 
Well  have  I  succeeded 
In  doing  my  errand ; 
Thrym  has  thy  hammer. 
The  king  of  the  giants. 
No  man 
Brings  it  back 
Unless  he  gives  him 
Freyja  as  bride. 

Went  they  then  the  fair 
^  Freyja  to  find, 

First  then  Thor 
Thus  addressed  her: 
Dress  thyself,  Freyja, 
In  bridal  robes. 
Together  we  will  ride 
To  Jotunheim. 


THOR   AND   THRYM.  331 

Angry  grew  Freyja, 

And  she  raged 

So  the  hall  of  the  asas 

Must  shake. 

Her  heavy  necklace, 

Brisingameu,  broke: 

Then  would  I  be 

A  lovesick  maid 

If  with  thee  I  would  ride 

To  Jotunheim. 

Then  all  the  asas 
Went  to  the  Thing, 
To  the  Thing  went 
All  the  asynjes. 
The  powerful  divinities, 
And  held  consult, 
How  they  should  get 
The  hammer  back. 

Then  spake  Heimdal 
The  whitest  god  — 
Foreknowing  was  he. 
As  the  vans  are  all : 
Dress  we  Thor 
In  bridal  robes, 
Brisingamen 
Must  he  wear. 

Let  jingle  keys 
About  his  waist ; 
Let  a  woman's  dress 
Cover  his  knees ; 
On  his  bosom  we  put 
Broad  broaches, 
And  artfully  we 
His  hair  braid. 

Spoke  then  Thor, 
The  mighty  god : 
Mock  me  all 
The  asas  would. 


333  THOR   AND   THRYil. 

If  in  bridal  robes 
I  should  be  dressed. 

Spoke  then  Loke 
Laufeyarson : 
Be  silent  Thor; 
Stop  such  talk. 
Soon  will  giants 
Build  in  Asgard 
If  thou  thy  hammer 
Bring  not  back. 

Dressed  they  then  Thor 

In  bridal-robes ; 

Brisengamen 

He  had  to  wear ; 

Keys  let  they  jingle 

About  his  waist. 

And  a  woman's  dress 

Fell  over  his  knees  ; 

On  his  bosom  they  placed 

Broad  broaches, 

And  artfully  they 

His  hair  did  braid. 

Spoke  then  Loke 
Laufeyarson : 
For  thee  must  I 
Be  servant-maid ; 
Ride  we  both 
To  Jotunheim. 

Home  were  driven 

Then  the  gcats. 

And  hitched  to  the  car; 

Hasten  they  must  — 

The  mountains  crashed. 

The  earth  stood  in  flames, 

Odin's  son 

Rode  to  Jotunheim. 

Spoke  then  Thrym, 
The  king  of  giants : 


THOR   AND   THRYM.  333 

Giants !   arise 

And  spread  my  benches ! 

Bring  to  me 

Freyja  as  bride, 

Njord's  daugliter, 

From  Noatun. 

Cows  with  golden  horns 
Go  in  the  yard. 
Black  oxen 
To  please  the  giant ; 
Much  wealth  have  I, 
Many  gifts  have  I ; 
Freyja,  methinks. 
Is  all  I  lack. 

Early  in  the  evening 

Came  they  all; 

Ale  was  brought 

Up  for  the  giant. 

One  ox  Thor  ate. 

Eight  salmon 

And  all  the  delicacies 

For  the  women  intended ; 

Sif's  husband  besides 

Drank  three  barrels  of  mead. 

Spoke  then  Thrym, 
The  king  of  giants : 
Where  hast  thou  seen 
Such  a  hungry  bride? 
I  ne'er  saw  a  bride 
Eat  so  much, 
And  never  a  maid 
Drink  more  mead. 

Sat  there  the  shrewd 
Maid-servant  near  ;* 
Thus  she  replied 
To  the  words  of  Thrym  : 
Nothing  ate  Freyja 
In  eight  nights, 

*  Loke. 


334  THOR   AND   THRYM. 

So  much  did  she  long 
For  Jotunheim. 

Behind  the   veil 
Thrym  sought  a  kiss, 
But  back  he  sprang 
The  length  of  the  hall: 
Why  are  Freyja's 
Eyes  so  sharp  ? 
From  her  eyes  it  seems 
That  fire  doth  burn. 

Sat  there  the  shrewd 
Maid-servant  near. 
And  thus  she  spake. 
Answering  the  giant  ; 
Slept  has  not  Freyja 
For  eight  nights. 
So  much  did  she  long 
For  Jotunheim. 

In  came  the  poor 
Sister  of  Thrym ; 
For  bridal  gift 
She  dared  to  ask  : 
Give  from  thy  hand 
The  golden  rings, 
If  thou  desirest 
Friendship  of  me, 
Friendship  of  me  — 
And  love. 

Spoke  then  Thrym, 
The  king  of  giants : 
Bring  me  the  hammer 
My  bride  to  hallow : 
Place  the  hammer 
lu  the  lap  of  the  maid  ; 
Wed  us  together 
In  the  name  of  Var.* 

*  The  goddess  who  presides  over  marriages. 


THOR   AND   THRYM.  335 

Laughed  then  Thor's 
Heart  in  his  breast ; 
Severe  in  mind 
He  knew  his  hammer. 
First  slew  he  Thrym, 
The  king  of  giants, 
Crushed  then  all 
That  race  of  giants; 

Slew  the  old 
Sister  of  Thrym, 
She  who  asked 
For  a  bridal  gift ; 
Slap  she  got 
For  shining  gold. 
Hammer  blows 
For  heaps  of  rings ; 
Thus  came  Odin's  son 
Again  by  his  hammer. 

Thrym  (from  yhruma)  is  the  noisy,  thundering  imi- 
tator of  Thor.  While  the  thunder  sleeps,  the  giant 
forces  of  nature  howl  and  rage  in  the  storms  and 
winds,  they  have  stolen  the  hammer  from  Thor.  Thor 
goes  and  brings  his  hammer  back  and  the  storms  are 
made  to  cease.  It  has  been  suggested  that  Thor  is  the 
Impersonation  of  truth,  and'  the  Younger  Edda  speaks 
of  him  as  one  never  having  yet  uttered  an  untruth. 
It  has  also  been  claimed  that  the  name  of  his  realm 
TIirnd-\aug  contains  the  same  root  as  our  English 
word  tr2ith,  but  this  we  leave  for  the  reader  to  examine 
for  himself.  Before  the  Norsemen  learned  to  make  the 
sign  of  the  cross,  they  made  the  sign  of  the  hammer 
upon  themselves  and  upon  other  things  that  they 
thereby  wished  to  secure  against  evil  influences. 

Now  let  us  glance  at  the  last  appearance  of  Thor 
on  the  stage  of  this  world.  The  Norse  king,  Olaf  the 
saint,  was  eagerly  pursuing  his  work  of  Christian  reform 


336  THOR   AND   THRYM. 

in  Norway,  and  we  find  him  sailing  with  fit  escort 
along  the  western  shore  of  that  country  from  haven  to 
haven,  dispensing  justice  or  doing  other  royal  work. 
On  leaving  a  certain  haven,  it  is  found  that  a  stranger 
of  grave  eyes  and  aspect,  with  red  beard  and  of  a 
robust  and  stately  figure,  has  stepped  in.  The  courtiers 
address  him;  his  answers  surprise  by  their  pertinency 
and  depth.  At  length  he  is  brought  to  the  king.  The 
stranger's  conversation  here  is  not  less  remarkable,  as 
they  sail  along  the  beautiful  shore;  but  after  awhile 
he  addresses  King  Olaf  thus:  Yes,  King  Olaf,  it  is 
all  beautiful,  with  the  sun  shining  on  it  there;  green, 
fruitful,  a  right  fair  home  for  you ;  and  many  a  sore 
day  had  Thor,  many  a  wild  fight  with  the  mountain 
giants,  before  he  could  make  it  so.  And  now  you  seem 
minded  to  put  away  Thor.  King  Olaf,  have  a  care! 
said  the  stranger,  knitting  his  brows;  and  when  they 
looked  again  he  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  This  is 
the  last  myth  of  Thor,  a  protest  against  the  advance 
of  Christianity,  no  doubt  reproachfully  set  forth  by 
some  conservative  pagan.* 

*  Thomas  Carlyle,  Heroes  and  Hero-wm'ship. 


CHAPTER  Y. 


VIDAR. 

ON"  the  way  to  Geirrod  (see  p.  310)  we  noticed  that 
Thor  visited  the  hag  Grid,  and  she  lent  him 
three  things,  counterparts  of  Thor's  own  treasures,  her 
belt  of  strength,  iron  gloves  and  staff.  Grid  belongs  to 
the  race  of  giants;  she  dwells  in  the  wild,  unsubdued 
nature,  but  is  not  hostile  toward  the  gods.  Her  belt, 
gloves  and  staflF,  her  name,  the  place  where  she  dwells 
between  Asgard  and  Jotunheim,  her  ability  to  give 
Thor  information  about  Geirrod,  all  give  evidence  of  her 
wild  and  powerful  character. 

She  is  the  mother  of  Vidar,  who  is  a  son  of  Odin. 
Hence  we  have  here,  as  in  the  case  of  Tyr,  a  connect- 
ing link  between  the  giants  and  asas.  Through  Tyr 
the  gods  are  related  to  the  raging  sea,  through  Vidar 
to  the  wild  desert  and  the  forests.  Vidar  is  surnamed 
the  Silent.  He  is  almost  as  strong  as  Thor  himself, 
and  the  gods  place  great  reliance  on  him  in  all  critical 
conjunctures.  He  is  the  brother  of  the  gods.  He  has 
an  iron  shoe;  it  is  a  thick  slioe,  of  which  it  is  said  that 
material  has  been  gathered  for  it  through  all  ages.  It 
is  made  of  the  scraps  of  leather  that  have  been  cut  off 
from  the  toes  and  heels  in  cutting  patterns  for  shoes. 
These  pieces  must  therefore  be  thrown  away  by  the 
shoemaker  who  desires  to  render  assistance  to  the  gods. 
He  is  present  at  ^ger's  feast,  where  Odin  says  to  him : 
29  (337) 


338  VIDAR. 

Stand  up,  Vidar! 
And  let  the  wolf's  father* 
Be  guest  at  the  feast. 
That  Loke  may  not 
Bring  reproach  on  us 
Here  in  ^ger's  hall. 

His  realm  is  thus  described  in  the  Elder  Edda: 

Grown  over  with  shrubs 
And  with  high  grass 
Is  Vidar's  wide  land. 
There  sits  Odin's 
Son  on  the  horse's  back ; 
He  will  avenge  his  father. 

He  avenges  his  father  in  the  final  catastrophe,  in  Eag- 
narok;  for  when  the  Fenris-wolf  has  swallowed  Odin, 
Vidar  advances,  and  setting  his  foot  on  the  monster's 
lower  jaw  he  seizes  the  other  with  his  hand,  and  thus 
tears  and  rends  him  till  he  dies.  It  is  now  his  shoe 
does  him  such  excellent  service.  After  the  universe 
has  been'  regenerated 

There  dwell  Vidar  and  Vale 

In  the  gods'  holy  seats. 

When  the  fire  of  Surt  is  slaked. 

Vidar's  name  (from  vv6r,  a  forest)  indicates  that  he 
is  the  god  of  the  primeval,  impenetrable  forest,  where 
neither  the  sound  of  the  ax  nor  the  voice  of  man  was 
ever  heard ;  and  hence  he  is  also  most  fittingly  sur- 
named  the  Silent  God.  Vidar  is,  then,  imperishable 
and  incorruptible  nature  represented  as  an  immense 
indestructible  forest,  with  the  iron  trunks  of  the  trees 
rearing  their  dense  and  lofty  tops  toward  the  clouds. 
Who  has  ever  entered  a  thick  and  pathless  forest,  wan- 
dered about  in  its  huge  shadows  and  lost  himself  in  its 

*  Loke. 


VIDAR.  339 

solemn  darkness,  without  feeling  deeply  sensible  to  the 
loftiness  of  the  idea  that  underlies  Vidar's  character. 
Vidur  is  the  Greek  Pan,  the  representative  of  incor- 
ruptible nature.  He  is  not  the  ruler  of  the  peaceful 
grove  near  the  abode  of  the  gods,  where  Idun  dwells, 
but  of  the  great  and  wild  primeval  forest,  that  man 
never  yet  entered.  The  idea  of  Vidar's  woods  is  ini- 
perishableness,  while  that  of  Idun's  grove  is  the  con- 
stant renovation  and  rejuvenation  of  the  life  of  the 
gods.  The  gods  and  all  the  work  of  their  hands  shall 
perish,  and  it  is  nowhere  stated  that  Idun  survives 
Eagnarok.  Odin  himself  perishes,  and  with  him  all  his 
labor  and  care  for  man;  but  nature  does  not  perish. 
If  that  should  be  entirely  destroyed,  then  it  could  not 
be  regenerated.  If  matter  should  perish,  where  would 
then  the  spirit  take  its  dwelling  ?  If  Vidar  did  not 
exist,  where  would  Vale  be?  The  glory  of  the  world, 
the  development  that  has  taken  place,  and  the  spirit 
revealed  in  it,  perish;  but  not  Vidar,  for  he  is  the  im- 
perishable, wild,  original  nature,  the  eternal  matter, 
which  reveals  its  force  to,  but  is  not  comprehended  by, 
man ;  a  force  which  man  sees  and  reveres,  without  ven- 
turing an  explanation ;  but  when  all  the  works  of  man 
are  destroyed  by  consuming  flames,  this  force  of  eternal 
matter  will  be  revealed  with  increased  splendor. 

Thus  we  find  the  power  and  strength  of  the  gods 
expressed  in  two  myths,  in  Thor  and  in  Vidar,  both 
sons  of  Odin,  who  is,  as  the  reader  knows,  the  father 
of  all  the  gods.  Thor  is  the  thundering,  noisy,  crush- 
ing, but  withal  beneficent,  god;  Vidar  is  silent,  dwells 
far  away  from,  and  exercises  no  influence  upon,  the 
works  of  man,  except  as  he  inspires  a  profound  awe 
and  reverence.  Thor  is  the  visible,  in  their  manifesta- 
tions  wonderful,  constantly   returning   and   all-preserv- 


340  VIDAK. 

ing,  workings  of  nature;  Vidar  is  the  quiet,  secretly 
working,  hidden  and  self-supporting  imperishableness. 
Popularity,  fame,  position,  influence,  wealth, —  all  that 
makes  so  much  stir  and  bustle  in  the  world  —  shall 
perish ;  but  the  quiet  working  of  the  soul,  the  honest 
pursuit  of  knowledge,  the  careful  secret  development 
^'6f  the  powers  of  the  human  mind,  shall  live  forever. 
And  Vidar  and  Vale  (mind  and  knowledge)  shall  to- 
gether inhabit  the  sacred  dwellings  of  the  gods,  when 
the  waves  of  time  have  ceased  to  roll :  Vidar  as  the  god 
of  imperishable  matter,  Vale  as  the  god  of  eternal  light 
(spirit)  that  shines  upon  it. 


CIIAPTEE,  VI. 


THE  VANS. 

SECTION    I.       KJORD    AND    SKADE. 

TWO  opposite  elements  in  nature  are  united  in 
order  to  produce  life.  The  opposite  elements  are 
expressed  in  the  my'tliology  by  the  terms  asas  and  vans. 
In  our  language  and  mode  of  expression  that  would 
mean  the  solid  and  the  liquid,  the  masculine  and  the 
feminine.  Water,  the  par  excellence  representative  of 
liquids,  may  symbolize  various  ideas.  It  may  typify 
sorrow;  it  then  manifests  itself  in  tears,  and  sorrow  is 
as  fleeting  as  the  flowing  tears.  Water  may  symbolize 
gladness,  happiness,  and  blessings,  that  flow  in  gushing 
streams  along  the  pathway  of  life;  and  it  may  also  be 
used  as  the  symbol  of  innocence,  purity,  and  wealth. 
These  ideas  may  be  regarded  as  a  general  interpretation 
of  the  vans,  and  we  find  them  reflected  in  the  triune 
vana-deity:  Njord  with  his  children  Frey  and  Freyja, 
who  rise  from  the  sea  and  unite  themselves  with  the 
asa-divinity  in  heaven  and  on  earth. 

Njord  is  called  Vanagod,  and  he  dwells  in  the  heavenly 
region  called  Noatun.  He  rules  over  the  winds  and 
checks  the  fury  of  the  sea  and  of  fire,  and  is  therefore 
invoked  by  seafarer's  and  fishermen.  He  is  so  wealthy 
that  he  can  give  possessions  and  treasures  to  those  who 
call  on  him  for  them.  Yet  Njord  is  not  of  the  lineage 
of  the   asas,  for   he  was   born   and   bred   in  Vauaheim. 

(341) 


342  NJORD   AND   SKADE. 

But  the  vans  gave  him  as  hostage  to  the  asas,  receiving 
from  them  in  his  stead  Hcener.  By  this  means  peace 
was  reestablished  between  the  asas  and  vans.  (See  Part 
II,  Chap.  1,  Sec.  13.) 

Njord  took  to  wife  Skade,  the  daughter  of  the  giant 
Thjasse.*  She  preferred  dwelling  in  the  abode  formerly 
belonging  to  her  father,  which  is  situated  among  rocky 
mountains  in  the  region  called  Thrymheim,  but  Njord 
loved  to  reside  near  the  sea.  They  at  last  agreed  that 
they  should  pass  together  nine  nights  in  Thrymheim  and 
then  three  in  Noatun.  But  one  day,  when  Njord  came 
back  from  the  mountains  to  ISToatun,  he  thus  sang: 

Am  weary  of  the  mountains, 
Not  long  was  I  there. 
Only  nine  nights ; 
The  howl  of  the  wolves 
Methought  sounded  ill 
To  the  song  of  the  swans. 

To  which  Skade  sang  in  reply: 

Sleep  could  I  not 

On  my  sea-strand  couch 

For  screams  of  the  sea-fowl. 

Tliere  wakes  me 

When  from  the  wave  he  comes 

Every  morn  the  mew  (gull). 

Skade  then  returned  to  the  rocky  mountains  and 
dwelt  in  Thrymheim.  There  fastening  on  her  skees 
and  taking  her  bow  she  passes  her  time  in  the  chase 
of  wild  beasts,  and  is  called  Andre-dis  (Skee-goddess). 
Thus  it  is  said : 

Thrymheim  it 's  called 
Where  Thjasse  dwelled, 

*  How  Skade  came  to  choose  Njord  when  she  was  permitted  to  choose  a 
husband  among  the  gods,  seeing  only  their  feet,  was  related  on  page  277. 


^GER   AND    RAN.  343 

That  stream-mighty  giant ; 
But  Skade  now  dwells, 
Skee-bride  of  the  gods, 
In  her  father's  old  mansion. 

Njorcl  is  the  god  of  the  sea;  that  is  to  say,  of  that 
part  of  the  sea  which  is  immediately  connected  with 
the  earth,  that  part  of  the  sea  which  is  made  service- 
able to  man,  where  fishing  and  commerce  is  carried  on. 
His  dwelling  is  Noatun,  which  means  land  of  ships 
{nor,  ship ;  tiln,  yard,  place).  Njord's  realm  is  bounded 
on  the  one  side  by  the  earth,  the  land,  and  on  the 
other  by  the  raging  ocean,  where  ^■Eger  with  his  daugh- 
ters reigns.  Njord's  wife  is  Skade  (harm),  the  wild 
mountain  stream,  which  plunges  down  from  the  high 
rocks,  where  she  prefers  to  dwell,  and  pours  herself 
into  the  sea.'  Her  dwelling  is  Thrymheim,  the  roaring 
home,  at  the  thundering  waterfall.  Taken  as  a  whole, 
the  myth  is  very  clear  and  simple. 

The  compromise  between  Njord  and  Skade,  to  dwell 
nine  nights  in  Thrymheim  (home  of  uproar,  storms) 
and  three  nights  in  Noatun,  of  course  has  reference  to 
the  severe  northern  latitudes,  where  rough  weather  and 
wintry  storms  prevail  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
year. 

SECTION    II.      iEGER    AND    RAN. 

These  do  not  belong  to  the  vana-divinities,  but  are 
given  here  in  order  to  have  the  divinities  of  the  sea  in 
one  place.  As  Njord  is  the  mild,  beneficent  sea  near 
the  shore,  so  ^ger  is  the  wild,  turbulent,  raging  sea, 
far  from  the  land,  where  fishing  and  navigation  cannot 
well  be  carried  on ;  the  great  ocean,  and  yet  bordering 
on  the  confines  of  the  asas.  Hence  /Eger's  twofold 
nature;    he   is   a  giant,    but   still   has   intercourse    with 


344  ^GER   AND    RAN. 

the  gods.  Thus  in  Mimer,  JEger  and  Njord,  we  have 
the  whole  ocean  represented,  from  its  origin,  Mimer,  to 
its  last  stage  of  development,  to  Njord,  in  whom,  as  a 
beneficent  divinity,  it  unites  itself  with  the  gods ;  that 
is  to  say,  blesses  and  serves  the  enterprises  of  men. 

^ger  visits  the  gods,  and  the  latter  visit  him  in 
return ;  and  it  was  once  when  the  gods  visited  him 
that  his  brewing-kettle  was  found  too  small,  so  that 
Thor  had  to  go  to  the  giant  Hymer  and  borrow  a 
larger  one.  In  ^ger's  hall  the  bright  gold  was  used 
instead  of  fire,  and  there  the  ale  passed  around  spon- 
taneously. Ean  is  his  wife.  She  has  a  net,  in  which 
she  catches  those  who  venture  out  upon  the  sea.  ^ger 
and  Ran  have  nine  daughters,  the  waves.  Loke  once 
borrowed  Ean's  net,  to  catch  the  dwarf  Andvare,  who 
in  the  guise  of  a  fish  dwelt  in  a  waterfall.  With  her 
hand  she  is  able  to  hold  the  ships  fast.  It  was  a 
prevailing  opinion  among  the  ancient  Norsemen  that 
they  who  perished  at  sea  came  to  Ean ;  for  Fridthjof, 
who  with  his  companions  was  in  danger  of  being 
wrecked,  talks  about  his  having  to  rest  on  Ean's  couch 
instead  of  Ingeborg's,  and  as  it  was  not  good  to  come 
empty-handed  to  the  halls  of  Ean  and  ^ger,  he  divided 
a  ring  of  gold  between  himself  and  his  men. 

Thus  Tegner  has  it  in  Fridthjof  at  Sea: 

Whirling  cold  and  fast 
Snow-wreaths  fill  the  sail ; 
Over  deck  and  mast 
Patters  heavy  hail. 

The  very  stem  they  see  no  more, 
So  thick  is  darkness  spread, 
As  gloom  and  horror  hover  o'er 
The  chamber  of  the  dead. 


^GER    AND    RAN.  345 

Still  to  sink  the  sailor  dashes 
Implacable  each  angry  wave  ; 
Gray,  as  if  bestrewn  with  ashes, 
Yawns  the  endless,  awful  grave. 


Then  says  Fridthjof: 


For  us  in  bed  of  ocean 

Azure  pillows  Ran  prepares. 
On  thy  pillow,  Ingeborg, 
Thou  thinkest  upon  me. 
Higher  ply,  my  comrades, 
Ellida's  sturdy  oars ; 
Good  ship,  heaven-fashioned, 
Bear  us  on  an  hour. 


The  storm  continues; 


O'er  the  side  apace 
Now  a  sea  hath  leapt ; 
In  an  instant's  space 
Clear  the  deck  is  swept. 

From  his  arm  now  Fridthjof  hastens 
To  draw  his  ring,  three  marks  in  weight; 
Like  the  morning  sun  it  glistens, 
The  golden  gift  of  Bele  great. 
With  his  sword  in  pieces  cutting 
The  famous  work  of  pigmied  art, 
Shares  he  quickly,  none  forgetting. 
Unto  every  man  a  part. 


Then  says  Fridthjof  again 


Gold  is  good  possession 
When  one  goes  a- wooing; 
Let  none  go  empty-handed 
Down  to  azure  Ran. 
Icy  are  her  kisses, 
Fickle  her  embraces ; 
But  we'll  charm  the  sea-bride 
With  our  ruddy  gold. 


346  ^GER   AN"D    RAN. 

How  eager  Ran  is  to  capture  those  who  venture  out 
upon  her  domain  is  also  illustrated  in  another  part  of 
Fridthjofs  Saga,  where  King  Eing  and  his  queen  In- 
geborg  ride  over  the  ice  on  the  lake  to  a  banquet. 
Fridthjof  went  along  on  skates.     Thus  Tegner  again : 

They  speed  as  storms  over  ocean  speed ; 

The  queeu's  prayers  little  King  Ring  doth  heed. 

Their  steel-shod  comrade  standeth  not  still. 
He  flieth  past  them  as  swift  as  he  will. 

Many  a  rune  on  the  ice  cutteth  he; 
Fair  Ingeborg's  name  discovereth  she. 

So  on  their  glittering  course  they  go. 
But  Ran,  the  traitress,  lurketh  below. 

A  hole  in  her  silver  roof  she  hath  reft, 
Down  sinketh  the  sleigh  in  the  yawning  cleft. 

But,  fortunately,  Fridthjof  was  not  far  away.  He 
came  to  their  rescue,  and 

With  a  single  tug  he  setteth  amain 
Both  steed  and  sleigh  on  the  ice  again. 

Of  ^ger's  and  Ean's  daughters,  the  waves,  it  is  said 
that  they  congregate  in  large  numbers  according  to  the 
will  of  their  father.  They  have  pale  locks  and  white 
veils;  they  are  seldom  mild  in  their  disposition  toward 
men ;  they  are  called  billows  or  surges,  and  are  always 
awake  when  the  wind  blows.  They  lash  the  sounding- 
shores,  and  angrily  rage  and  break  around  the  holms;* 
they  have  a  hard  bed  (stones  and  rocks),  and  seldom 
play  in  calm  weather.  The  names  of  the  daughters  of 
^ger  and  Ran  represent  the  waves  in  their  various 
magnitudes   and   appearances.      Thus    Himingloefa,    the 

*  Rocky  islands. 


^GER   AND    RAN.  347 

sky-clear;  Duva,  the  diver;  Blodughadda,  the  bloody- 
or  purple-haired;  Hefring,  the  swelling;  Bylgja,  billow; 
Kolga,  raging  sea,  etc. 

These  myths  are  very  simple  and  need  no  extended 
explanations.  JEger  is  the  tei-rihle  {cegja,  to  frighten). 
He  is  also  called  Hler,  the  shelterer  {JiU,  Anglo-Saxon 
Jileo,  Danish  Lw,  English  lee),  and  Gymer,  the  conceal- 
ing {(jeijma,  Anglo-Saxon  gi/mau,  Norse  gjemme,  to  con- 
ceal, to  keep).  These  names  express  the  sea  in  its  up- 
roar, in  its  calmness,  and  as  the  covering  of  the  deep. 
The  name  of  his  wife,  Ran  (robbery  qr  the  robbing; 
roena,  to  plunder),  denotes  the  sea  as  craving  its  sacri- 
fice of  human  life  and  of  treasures.  It  is  a  common 
expression  in  IsTorseland  that  the  sea  brews  and  seethes, 
and  this  at  once  suggests  iEger's  kettles.  The  foaming 
ale  needs  no  butler  but  passes  itself  around,  and  there 
is  plenty  of  it.  That  ^ger,  when  visited  by  the  gods, 
illuminated  his  hall  with  shining  gold,  refers  of  course 
to  the  phosphorescent  light  of  the  sea  (Icelandic 
marelldr,  Norse  morild).  Those  who  are  familiar  with 
the  sea  cannot  fail  to  have  seen  the  sparks  of  fire  that 
apparently  fly  from  it  when  its  surface  is  disturbed  in 
the  dark.  Thus  the  servants  of  MgQV,  Elde  and  Fun- 
feng  (both  words  meaning  fire),  are  properly  called  ex- 
cellent firemen.  The  relation  between  Njord  and  ^ger 
seems  to  be  the  same  as  between  Okeanos,  the  great 
water  encircling  the  earth,  and  Pontus,  the  Mediterra- 
nean, within  the  confines  of  the  earth. 

Some  of  the  old  Norse  heroes  are  represented  as  pos- 
sessing a  terrifying  helmet,  ^ger's  helmet  {cegishjdlmr)', 
and  thus,  as  Odin's  golden  helmet  is  the  beaming  sky,  and 
as  the  dwarfs  cover  themselves  with  a  helmet  of  fog,  so 
^ger  wears  on  his  brow  a  helmet  made  of  dense  dark- 
ness and  heaven-reaching,  terrifying  breakers. 


348  FREY. 

MgPT  and  his  family,  it  is  certain,  did  not  belong 
among  the  asas,  yet  they  were  regarded,  like  them,  as 
mighty  beings,  whose  friendship  was  sought  by  the  gods 
themselves;  and  England,  that  proud  mistress  of  the 
sea,  is  the  reflection  of  the  myth  of  ^ger,  showing  what 
grand  results  are  achieved  historically,  when  human  en- 
terprise and  heroism  enter  into  friendly  relations  with 
the  sea,  making  it  serve  the  advancement  of  civiliza- 
tion,—  when  the  gods  go  to  ^Eger's  hall  to  banquet. 

SECTIOK    III.      FREY. 

Njord  had  two  children — a  son  Frey  and  a  daughter 
Freyja,  both  fair  and  mighty.  Frey  is  one  of  the  most 
celebrated  of  the  gods.*  He  presides  over  rain  and  sun- 
shine and  all  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and  sliould  be  in- 
voked to  obtain  good  harvests,  and  also  for  peace.  He 
moreover  dispenses  wealth  among  men.  He  is  called 
van  and  vanagod,  yeargod  and  goods-giver  [fcgjafi).  He 
owns  the  ship  Skidbladner  and  also  Goldenbristie  {gul- 
linhursti)  or  Slidrugtanne  (the  sharp-toothed),  a  boar 
with  golden  bristles,  with  which  he  rides  as  folk-ruler  to 
Odin's  hall.  In  time's  morning,  when  he  was  yet  a  child, 
the  gods  gave  him  Alf  heim  (home  of  elves)  as  a  present. 

Of  Frey's  ship  Skidbladner,  we  have  before  seen  (see 
p.  220)  how  it  was  made  by  the  dwarfs,  sons  of  Ivald, 
and  presented  to  Frey.  It  was  so  large  that  all  the  gods 
with  their  weapons  and  war  stores  could  find  room  on 
board  it.  As  soon  as  the  sails  are  set  a  favorable  breeze 
arises  and  carries  it  to  its  place  of  destination,  and  it 
is  made  of  so  many  pieces,  and  with  so  much  skill,  that 
when  it  is  iiot  wanted  for  a  voyage  Frey  may  fold  it 
together  like  a  piece  of  cloth  and  put  it  into  his  pocket. 

*  Generally  speaking,  both  asas  and  vans  are  included  in  the  term  gode, 
both  being  propitious. 


FRET.  349 

Njord  had  the  consolation,  when  he  was  sent  as 
liostage  to  the  gods,  that  he  begat  a  son  whom  no  one 
liates,  but  who  is  the  best  among  the  gods.  Thus  the 
Elder  Edda,  in  JEger's  banquet  to  the  gods,  where  Loke 
also  was  present: 

NJORD : 
It  is  my  consolation  — 
For  I  was  from  a  far-off  place 
Sent  as  a  hostage  to  the  gods— r 
That  I  begat  that  son* 
Whom  no  one  hates. 
And  who  is  regarded 
Chief  among  the  gods. 

To  which  Loke  makes  reply : 

Hold  thy  tongue,  Njord! 
Subdue  thy  arrogance ; 
I  will  conceal  it  no  longer 
That  with  thy  sister 
A  son  thou  didst  beget 
Scarcely  worse  than  thyself. 

But  Tyr  defends  Frey: 

Frey  is  the  best 

Of  all  the  chiefs 

Among  the  gods. 

He  causes  not  tears 

To  maids  or  mothers : 

His  desire  is  to  loosen  the  fetters 

Of  those  enchained. 

LOKE: 

Hold  thy  tongue,  Tyr! 
Never  thou  couldst 
Use  both  hands,f 
Since  thy  right  one, 

*  Frey.  t  See  p.  271. 


350  FRET. 


As  I  now  remember, 

The  wolf  Fenrer  took  from  you. 

TYR  : 

I  lack  a  hand, 

Thou  lackest  good  reputation, — 

Sad  it  is  to  lack  such  a  thing ; 

Nor  does  the  wolf  fare  well, — 

In  chains  he  pines 

Till  the  end  of  the  world. 

LORE  : 
Hold  thy  tongue,  Tyr ! 
Thy  wife  and  I 
Had  a  son  together. 
But  thou,  poor  fellow. 
Received  not  a  farthing 
In  fine  from  me. 

FREY:   • 
The  wolf  I  see  lie 
At  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Until  the  powers  perish. 
Mischief-maker ! 

If  thou  dost  not  hold  thy  tongue 
Thou  also  shalt  be  bound. 


For  gold  thou  bought'st 
Gymer's  daughter. 
And  sold  thy  sword 
At  the  same  time  ; 
But  when  the  sons  of  Muspel 
Come  riding  from  the  dark  woods. 
What  hast  thou,  poor  fellow, 
To  rely  upon? 

Frey  has  a  servant  by  name  Bygver,  who  responds 
to  Loke : 

Know  that,  were  I  born 
Of  so  noble  a  race 


FEEY.  351 

As  Ingun's  Frey, 

And  had  I 

So  glorious  a  hall, 

I  would  crusli  the  evil  crow, 

Break  his  bones  to  the  marrow ! 

LoKE  then  turns  upon  Bygver,  and  calls  him  a 
little  impertinent  thing,  that  always  hangs  about  Frey's 
ears  and  cries  under  the  millstone  (can  the  reader  help 
thinking  at  this  moment  of  Robert  Burns'  famous  poem, 
John  Barlcijcorn  ?) ;  a  good-for-nothing  fellow,  who  never 
would  divide  good  with  men,  and  when  the  heroes 
fought  they  could  not  find  him,  for  he  was  concealed 
in  the  straw  of  the  bed. 

Frey's  maid-servant  is  Beyla,  Bygver's  wife,  whom 
Loke  calls  the  ugliest  and  filthiest  hag  that  can  be 
found  among  the  dfi'spring  of  the  gods.  Of  course  Loke 
exaggerates  and  uses  abusive  language,  but  it  was  in 
truth  a  sorry  thing  for  Frey  that  he  traded  his  sword 
away,  for  it  is  to  this  fact  he  owes  his  defeat  when  he 
encounters  Surt  in  Ragnarok. 

Frey's  wife  was  Gerd,  a  daughter  of  Gymer,  and 
their  son  was  Fjolner.  Frey  was  worshiped  throughout 
the  northei'n  countries.  In  the  common  formula  of  the 
oath  his  name  was  put  first:  Hjalpi  mer  sva  Freyr 
OK  Njoedr  ok  hinn  almattki  as  !  that  is,  So  help 
me  Frey  and  Njord  and  the  almighty  Asa  (Odin).  On 
Jul-eve  (Christmas  eve)  it  was  customary  to  lead  out  a 
boar,  which  was  consecrated  to  Frey,  and  which  was 
called  the  atonement  boar.  On  this  the  persons  present 
laid  their  hands  and  made  solemn  vows;  and  at  the 
feast,  where  the  flesh  of  the  sacrificed  animal  was  eaten 
by  the  assembled  guests,  there  was  drunk,  among  other 
horns,  a  horn  to  Njord  and  Frey  for  prosperous  seasons 
and  for  peace. 


.X 


353  FRET    AND   GERD. 

Everything  about  Frey  goes  to  show  that  he  is  the 
god  of  the  earth's  fruitfuluess.  The  sea,  Njord,  rises 
as  vapor  and  descends  in  rain  upon  the  land,  making 
it  fruitful.  There  has  been  much  dispute  about  the 
etymological  meaning  of  the  word  Frey.  Finn  Mag- 
niissou  derives  it  from  froe,  Norse  fro,  meaning  seed. 
Grimm,  on  the  other  hand,  thinks  the  fundamental  idea 
is  mildness,  gladness  (compare  German  froh,  Norse 
fryd).  A  derived  meaning  of  the  word  is  man,  mascu- 
line of  Freyja  (German  frau),  meaning  woman. 

SECTION"   IV.      FREY    AND    GERD. 

Frey  had  one  day  placed  himself  in  Hlidskjalf,  and 
looked  out  upon  all  the  worlds.  He  also  saw  Jotunheim, 
and  perceived  a  large  and  stately  mansion  which  a  maid 
was  going  to  enter,  and  as  she  raised  the  latch  of  the 
door  so  great  a  radiancy  was  thrown  from  her  hand, 
that  the  air  and  waters  and  all  worlds  were  illuminated 
by  it.  It  was  Gerd,  a  daughter  of  the  giant  Gymer 
and  Aurboda,  relatives  of  Thjasse.  At  this  sight  Frey, 
as  a  just  punishment  for  his  audacity  in  mounting  on 
that  sacred  throne,  was  struck  "with  sudden  sadness,  so 
that  on  his  return  home  he  could  neither  speak  nor 
sleep  nor  drink,  nor  did  any  one  dare  to  inquire  the 
cause  of  his  affliction.  Frey's  messenger  was  named 
Skirner.  Njord  sent  for  him  and  requested  of  him,  as 
did  also  Skade,  that  he  should  ask  Frey  why  he  thus 
refused  to  speak  to  any  one. 

Thus  the  Elder  Edda,  in  the  lay  of  Skirner:* 


Skirner,  arise,  and  swiftly  run 
Where  lonely  sits  our  pensive  son ; 

*  Herbert's  tranelation. 


FREY    AND    GERD.  353 

Bid  liim  to  parley,  and  inquire 

'Gainst  whom  lie  teems  with  sullen  ire. 

SKIKNER  : 
111  words  I  fear  my  lot  will  prove. 
If  I  your  son  attempt  to  move ; 
If  I  bid  parley,  and  inquire 
Why  teems  his  soul  with  savage  ire. 

Reluctantly    Skirner   then    proceeded    to    Frey,  and 
thub  addressed  him: 

SKIRNER  : 
Prince  of  the  gods,  and  first  in  fight! 
Speak,  honored  Frey,  and  tell  me  right : 
Why  spends  my  lord  the  tedious  day 
In  his  lone  hall,  to  grief  a  prey  ? 

frey: 
Oh,  how  shall  I,  fond  youth,  disclose 
To  you  my  bosom's  heavy  woes? 
The  ruddy  god*  shines  every  day. 
But  dull  to  me  his  cheerful  ray. 

SKIRNER  : 

Tour  sorrows  deem  not  I  so  great 
That  you  the  tale  should  not  relate : 
Together  sported  we  in  youth. 
And  well  may  trust  each  other's  truth. 

FREY: 
In  Gymer's  court  I  saw  her  move. 
The  maid  who  fires  my  breast  with  love ; 
Her  snow-white  arms  and  bosom  fair 
Shone  lovely,  kindling  sea  and  air. 
Dear  is  she  to  my  wishes,  more 
Than  e'er  was  maid  to  youth  before; 
But  gods  and  elves,  I  wot  it  well. 
Forbid  that  we  together  dwell. 


30 


354  FREY    AND    GERD. 

SKIRNER : 
Give  me  that  horse  of  wondrous  breed 
To  cross  the  nightly  flame  with  speed ; 
And  that  self-brandished  sword  to  smite 
The  giant  race  with  strange  afli'ight. 

FREY: 

To  you  I  give  this  wondrous  steed 
To  pass  the  watchful  fire  with  speed ; 
And  this,  which  borne  by  valiant  wight. 
Self-brandished  will  his  foemen  smite. 

Frey,  having  thus  given  away  his  sword,  found  him- 
self without  arms  when  he  on  auotlier  occasion  fought 
with  Bele,  and  hence  it  was  that  he  slew  him  with  a 
stag's  antlers.  This  combat  was,  however,  a  trifling 
affair,  for  Frey  could  have  killed  him  with  a  blow  of 
his  fist,  had  he  felt  inclined;  but  the  time  will  come 
when  the  sons  of  Muspel  will  sally  forth  to  the  fight  in 
Eagnarok,  and  then  indeed  will  Frey  truly  regret  hav- 
ing parted  with  his  falchion.  Having  obtained  the  horse 
and  sword,  Skirner  set  out  on  his  journey,  and  thus 
he  addressed  his  horse: 

Dark  night  is  spread ;  't  is  time,  I  trow, 
To  climb  the  mountains  hoar  with  snow  ; 
Both  shall  return,  or  both  remain 
In  durance,  by  the  giant  ta'en. 

Skirner  rode  into  Jotunheim,  to  the  court  of  Gymer. 
Furious  dogs  were  tied  there  before  the  gate  of  the 
wooden  inclosure  which  surrounded  Gerd's  bower.  He 
rode  'toward  a  shepherd,  who  was  sitting  on  a  mound, 
and  thus  addressed  him : 

Shepherd,  you,  that  sit  on  the  mound. 
And  turn  your  watchful  eyes  around, 
How  may  I  lull  these  bloodhounds  ?  say ; 
How  speak  unharmed  with  Gymer's  may  ?  * 

*  May,  maid. 


FREY   AND    GERD.  355 

THE    SHEPHERD : 

Whence  and  what  are  you?   doomed  to  die? 
Or,  dead,  revisit  you  the  sky? 
For  ride  by  night  or  ride  by  day. 
You  ne'er  shall  come  to  Gymer's  may, 

SKIRNEIl : 
I  grieve  not,  I,  a  better  part 
Fits  him  who  boasts  a  ready  heart : 
At  hour  of  birth  our  lives  were  shaped ; 
The  doom  of  fate  can  ne'er  be  'scaped. 

But  Gerd  inside  hears  the  stranger,  and  thus  speaks 
to  her  maid-servant: 

What  sounds  unknown  my  ears  invade, 
Frightening  this  mansion's  peaceful  shade; 
The  earth's  foundation  rocks  withal. 
And  trembling  shakes  all  Gymer's  hall. 

THE  MAID-SERVANT  : 

Dismounted  stands  a  warrior  sheen ; 
His  courser  crops  the  herbage  green. 

gerd: 
Haste!   bid  him  to  my  bower  with  speed, 
To  quaff  unmixed  the  pleasant  mead; 
And  good  betide  us ;   for  I  fear 
My  brother's  murderer  is  near. 

Skirner  having  entered,  Gerd  thus  addresses  him: 

What  are  you,  elf  or  asas'  son? 

Or  from  the  wiser  vanas  sprung? 

Alone  to  visit  our  abode, 

O'er  bickering  flames,  why  have  you  rode? 

SKIRNER  : 
Nor  elf  am  I,  nor  asas'  son ; 
Nor  from  the  wiser  vanas  sprung : 
Yet  o'er  the  bickering  flames  I  rode 
Alone  to  visit  your  abode. 


356  FREY    AND    GERD. 

4 

Eleven  apples  here  I  hold, 

Gerd,  for  you,  of  purest  gold ; 

Let  this  fair  gift  your  bosom  move 

To  grant  young  Frey  your  precious  love. 

GERD: 

Eleven  apples  take  not  I 
From  man  as  price  of  chastity : 
While  life  remains,  no  tongue  shall  tell 
That  Frey  and  I  together  dwell. 

SKIKNER  : 
Gerd,  for  you  this  wondrous  ring, 
Burnt  on  young  Balder's  pile,  I  bring. 
On  each  ninth  night  shall  other  eight 
Drop  from  it,  all  of  equal  weight. 

gerd: 
I  take  not,  I,  that  wondrous  ring. 
Though  it  from  Balder's  pile  you  bring: 
Gold  lack  not  I,  in  Gymer's  bower; 
Enough  for  me  my  father's  dower. 

SKIRNER  : 
Behold  this  bright  and  slender  wand, 
Unsheathed  and  glittering  in  my  hand  I 
Refuse  not,  maiden !   lest  your  head 
Be  severed  by  the  trenchant  blade. 

gerd: 
Gerd  will  ne'er  by  force  be  led 
To  grace  a  conqueror's  hateful  bed ; 
But  this  I  trow,  with  main  and  might 
Gymer  shall  meet  your  boast  in  fight. 

SKIRNER : 
Behold  this  bright  and  slender  wand. 
Unsheathed  and  glittering  in  my  hand! 
Slain  by  its  edge  your  sire  shall  lie, 
That  giant  old  is  doomed  to  die. 


FRET    AND    GERD.  357 

As  this  has  no  effect  upon  Gerd's  mind,  Skirner  heaps 
blows  upon  her  with  a  magic  wand,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  begins  his  incantations,  scoring  runic  characters 
as  he  sings: 

E'en  as  I  list,  the  magic  wand 
Shall  tame  you !     Lo,  with  charmed  hand 
I  touch  you,  maid !     There  shall  you  go 
Where  never  man  shall  learn  your  woe. 
On  some  high,  pointed  rock,  forlorn 
Like  eagle,  shall  you  sit  at  morn ; 
Turn  from  the  world's  all-cheering  light, 
And  seek  the  deep  abyss  of  night. 
Food  shall  to  you  more  loathly  show 
Than  slimy  serpent  creeping  slow. 
When  forth  you  come,  a  hideous  sight, 
Each  wondering  eye  shall  stare  with  fright ; 
By  all  observed,  yet  sad  and  lone ; 
'Mongst  shivering  giants  wider  known 
Than  him*  who  sits  unmoved  on  high. 
The   guard  of  heaven  with  sleepless  eye. 
'Mid  charms  and  chains  and  restless  woe. 
Your  tears  with  double  grief  shall  flow. 
Now  sit  down,  maid,  while  I  declare 
Your  tide  of  sorrow  and  despair. 
Your  bower  shalL  be  some  giant's  cell, 
Where  phantoms  pale  shall  with  you  dwell ; 
Each  day  to  the  frosty  giant's  hall, 
Comfortless,  wretched,  shall  you  crawl ; 
Instead  of  joy,  and  pleasure  gay, 
Sorrow  and  tears  and  sad  dismay ; 
With  some  three-headed  giant  wed, 
Or  pine  upon  a  lonely  bed ; 
From  morn  to  morn  love's  secret  fire 
Shall  gnaw  your  heart  with  vain  desire; 
Like  barren  root  of  thistle  pent 
In  some  high  ruined  battlement. 

O'er  shady  hill,  through  greenwood  rouud, 
I  sought  this  wand ;   the  wand  I  found. 
♦Heimdal,  the  god  of  the  raiubow. 


358  FREY   AND    GERD. 

Odin  is  wroth,  and  mighty  Thor ; 

E'en  Frey  shall  now  your  name  abhor. 

But  ere  o'er  your  ill-fated  head 

The  last  dread  curse  of  heaven  be  spread. 

Giants  and  Thurses  far  and  near, 

Suttung's  sons,  and  ye  asas,  hear 

How  I  forbid  with  fatal  ban 

This  maid  the  joys,  the  fruit  of  man. 

Cold  Grimner  is  that  giant  liight 

Who  you  shall  hold  in  realms  of  might ; 

Where  slaves  in  cups  of  twisted  roots 

Shall  bring  foul  beverage  from  the  goats ; 

Nor  sweeter  draught,  nor  blither  fare 

Shall  you,  sad  virgin,  ever  share. 

'Tis  done !     I  wind  the  mystic  charm ; 
Thus,  thus  I  trace  the  giant  form  ; 
And  three  fell  characters  below. 
Fury  and  Lust  and  restless  Woe. 
E'en  as  I  wound,  I  straight  unwind 
This  fatal  spell,  if  you  are  kind. 

GERD  : 
Now  hail,  now  hail,  you  warrior  bold! 
Take,  take  this  cup  of  crystal  cold. 
And  quaff  the  pure  metheglin  old. 
Yet  deemed  I  ne'er  that,  love  could  bind 
To  vana-youth  my  hostile  mind. 

SKIKNER  : 

I  turn  not  home  to  bower  or  hall 
Till  I  have  learnt  mine  errand  all  ; 
Where  you  will  yield  the  night  of  joy 
To  brave  Njord's,  the  gallant  boy. 

GERD  : 

Bar-isle  is  hight,  the  seat  of  love ; 
Nine  nights  elapsed,  in  that  known  grove 
Shall  brave  Njord's,  the  gallant  boy, 
From  Gerd  take  the  kiss  of  joy. 

Then    Skirner  rode    home.     Frey   stood    forth   and 
hailed  him  and  asked  what  tidings. 


FREY    AND    GERD.  359 

FKEY  : 

Speak,  Skiruer,  speak  and  tell  with  speed ! 
Take  not  the  harness  from  your  steed, 
Nor  stir  your  foot,  till  you  have  said, 
How  fares  my  love  with  Gymer's  maid ! 

SKIRNEU  : 

Bar-isle  is  hight,  the  seat  of  love ; 
Nine  nights  elapsed,  in  that  known  grove 
To  brave  Njord's,  the  gallant  boy. 
Will  Gerd  yield  the  kiss  of  joy. 

FREY: 
Long  is  one  night,  and  longer  twain  ; 
But  how  for  three  endure  my  pain  ? 
A  month  of  rapture  sooner  flies 
Than  half  one  night  of  wishful  sighs. 

This  poem  illustrates  how  beautifully  a  myth  can  be 
elaborated.  Gerd  is  the  seed;  Skirner  is  the  air  that 
comes  with  the  sunshine.  Thus  the  myth  is  easily  ex- 
plained :  The  earth,  in  which  the  seed  is  sown,  resists 
the  embrace  of  Frey;  his  messenger  Skirner,  who  brings 
the  seed  out  into  the  light,  in  vain  promises  her  the 
golden  ears  of  harvest  and  the  ring,  the  symbol  of 
abundance.  She  has  her  giant  nature,  which  has  not 
yet  been  touched  by  the  divine  spirit;  she  realizes  not 
the  glory  which  she  can  attain  to  by  Frey's  love.  Skir- 
ner must  conjure  her,  he  must  use  incantations,  he 
must  show  her  how  she,  if  not  embraced  by  Frey,  must 
forever  be  the  bride  of  the  cold  frost,  and  never  expe- 
rience the  joys  of  wedded  life.  She  finally  surrenders 
herself  to  Frey,  and  they  embrace  each  other,  when  the 
buds  burst  forth  in  the  grove.  This  myth  then  corre- 
sponds to  Persephone,  the  goddess  of  the  grain  planted 
in  the  ground.  Demeter's  sorrow  on  account  of  the 
naked,  forsaken  field,  from  which  the  sprout  shall 
shoot   forth   from  the  hidden   reed,  is   Frey's   impatient 


360  WOKSHIP   OF    FREY. 

longing;  and  Skirner  is  Mercurius,  who  brings  Proser- 
pina up  from  the  lower  world. 

But  the  myth  has  also  a  deeper  ethical  signification. 
Our  forefathers  were  not  satisfied  with  the  mere  shell ; 
and  Fi'ey's  love  to  Gerd,  which  is  described  so  vividly 
in  the  Eider  Edda,  is  taken  from  the  nature  of  love, 
Avith  all  its  longings  and  hopes,  and  is  not  only  a 
symbol  of  what  takes  place  in  visible  nature.  As  the 
warmth  of  the  sun  develops  the  seed,  thus  love  devel- 
ops the  heart;  love  is  the  ray  of  light  (Skirner)  sent 
from  heaven,  which  animates  and  ennobles  the  clump 
of  earth.  Gerd  is  the  maid,  who  is  engaged  in  earthly 
affairs  and  does  not  yet  realize  anything  nobler  than 
her  every-day  cares.  Then  love  calls  her;  in  her  breast 
awakens  a  new  life;  wonderful  dreams  like  gentle  breezes 
embrace  her,  and  when  the  dreams  grow  into  conscious- 
ness her  eyes  are  opened  to  a  higher  sphere  of  exist- 
ence. This  myth  is  most  perfectly  reflected  in  the  love- 
story  of  Fridthjof 's  Saga,  an  old  Norse  romance  moulded 
into  a  most  fascinating  Epic  Poem  by  Tegner.  A  good 
English  translation  of  this  poem  appeared  a  few  years 
ago  in  London,  and  was  republished  in  this  country 
under  the  auspices  of  Bayard  Taylor.  It  is  also  trans- 
lated into  almost  every  other  European  language,  and 
is  justly  considered  one  of  the  finest  poetical  produc- 
tions of  this  century. 

SECTION   V.      "WORSHIP    OF    FRET. 

The  Sagas  tell  us,  as  has  already  been  stated,  that 
Frey  was  worshiped  extensively  throughout  the  northern 
countries. 

In  Trondhjem  there  was  during  the  reign  of  Olaf 
Tryggvesson  a  temple  in  which  Frey  was  zealously  wor- 
shiped.   When  the  king,  having  overthrown   the  statue 


WORSHIP   OF   FREY.  361 

of  the  god,  blamed  the  bondes*  for  their  stupid  idolatry, 
and  asked  them  wherein  Frey  had  evinced  his  power, 
they  answered:  Frey  often  talked  with  us,  foretold  us 
the  future,  and  granted  us  good  seasons  and  peace. 

The  Norse  chieftain  Ingemund  Thorstenson,  who  in 
the  days  of  the  tyrant  Harakl  Hairfair  emigrated  from 
Norway  and  settled  at  Vatnsdal,  Iceland,  built  near  his 
homestead  a  temple,  which  appears  to  have  been  specially 
dedicated  to  Frey,  who  had  in  a  manner  pointed  out  a 
dwelling-place  to  him;  for  in  digging  a  place  for  his 
pillars  of  the  high-seat  {umlvegis-sulur,  something  simi- 
lar to  the  Greek  Hermes  and  Eonian  Penates),  Inge- 
mund found  in  the  earth  an  image  of  Frey,  which  he 
had  lost  in  Norway. 

The  Icelander  Torgrim  of  Seabol  was  a  zealous 
worshiper  of  Frey,  and  conducted  sacrificial  festivals  in 
his  honor  during  the  winter  nights.  He  was  killed  in 
his  bed  by  Gisle,  and  a  famous  funeral  service  was 
given  him ;  but  one  thing,  says  the  Saga  of  Gisle  Surson, 
also  happened,  which  seemed  remarkable.  Snow  never 
settled  on  Torgrim's  how  (grave-mound)  on  the  south 
side,  nor  did  it  freeze;  it  was  thought  that  Frey  loved 
him  so  much,  because  he  had  sacrificed  to  him,  that 
he  did  not  want  it  to  grow  cold  between  them. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  estate  Tver-aa,  in  Eyjafjord  in  ^ 
Iceland,  there  was  a  temple  dedicated  to  Frey,  and  the 
place  became  so  holy  that  no  guilty  person  dared  to 
tarry  there,  for  Frey  did  not  allow  it.  When  the  chief- 
tain Thorkel  the  Tall  was  banished  from  Tver-aa  by 
Glum  Eyjolfson,  who  is  universally  known  as  Vigaglum, 
he  led  a  full-grown  ox  to  Frey's  temple  before  he  left, 
and  thus  addressed  the  god :  Long  have  you  been  to 
me   a    faithful    friend,  0    Frey!      Many  gifts   have   you 

*  Farmers,  peasants. 
31 


362  WORSHIP   OF    FREY. 

received  from  me  aud  rewarded  me  well  for  them.  Now 
I  give  you  this  ox,  in  order  that  Glum  may  some  day 
have  to  leave  Tver-aa  no  less  reluctantly  than  I  do. 
And  now  give  to  me  a  sign  to  show  whether  you  accept 
this  offering  or  not.  At  that  moment  the  ox  bellowed 
loudly  and  fell  dead  upon  the  ground.  Thorkel  con- 
sidered this  a  good  omen,  and  moved  away  with  a  lighter 
heart.  Afterwards  (it  is  related  in  Vigaglum's  Saga)  Glum 
in  his  old  days  became  involved  in  a  dangerous  suit  for 
manslaughter,  which  ended  in  his  having  to  relinquish 
Tver-aa  to  Ketil,  son  of  Thorvald  Krok,  whom  he  con- 
fessed having  killed.  On  the  night  before  he  rode  to 
the  thing  (assembly,  court),  where  his  case  was  to  be 
decided,  he  dreamed  that  there  had  congregated  a  num- 
ber of  men  at  Tver-aa  to  meet  Frey ;  he  saw  many 
down  by  the  river  {a  is  river  in  Icelandic),  and  there 
sat  Frey  on  a  bench.  Glum  asked  who  they  were,  and 
they  answered:  We  are  your  departed  relatives,  and 
have  come  to  pray  Frey  that  you  may  not  be  driven 
from  Tver-aa;  but  it  avails  us  nothing.  Frey  answers 
us  short  and  angrily  and  now  remembers  the  ox  which 
Thorkel  the  Tall  gave  to  him.  Glum  awoke,  and  from 
that  time  he  said  that  he  was  on  uufriendly  terms  with 
Frey. 

In  the  temple  at  Upsala,  in  Sweden,  Frey,  together 
\^  with  Odin  and  Thor,  was  especially  worshiped;  and  by 
the  story  of  the  Norseman  Gunnar  Helming,  who  in 
Sweden  gave  himself  out  as  Frey,  it  is  attested  that  the 
people  in  some  provinces  of  Sweden  put  their  highest 
trust  in  this  god,  and  even  believed  him  sometimes  to 
ajjpear  in  human  form. 

The  horse,  it  appears,  was  regarded  as  a  favorite 
animal  of  Frey.  At  his  temple  in  Trondhjem  it  is  said 
there  were  horses  belonging  to  him.     It  is  related  of  the 


WORSHIP   OF    FREY.  363 

Icelander  Eafnkel  that  he  loved  Prey  above  all  other  gods, 
and  bestowed  upon  him  an  equal  share  in  all  his  best 
possessions.  He  had  a  brown  horse  called  Frey-fax  (com- 
pare Col-fax,  Fair-fax,*  etc.),  which  he  loved  so  highly 
that  he  made  a  solemn  vow  to  kill  the  man  who  should 
ride  this  horse  against  his  will,  a  vow  which  he  also 
fulfilled.  Another  Icelander,  Brand,  also  had  a  horse 
called  Frey-fax,  which  he  made  so  much  of  that  he  was 
said  to  believe  in  it  as  in  a  divinity. 

Frey's  boar,  Gullinburste,  has  been  referred  to  in  con- 
nection with  the  Jul  or  Christmas  festivities,  and  there 
are  found  many  examples  of  swine-sacrifice  in  the  old*^ 
Norse  writings.  King  Hedrek  made  solemn  vows  on 
the  atonement-boar  on  Jul-eve,  and  in  one  of  the  prose 
supplements  to  the  ancient  Eddaic  poem  of  Helge  Hjor- 
vardson  we  find  that  the  atonement-boar  is  mentioned 
as  being  led  out  on  Jul-eve,  in  order  that  they  might 
lay  hands  upon  it  and  make  solemn  vows. 

A  highly- valued  wooden  statue  or  image  of  Frey  was 
found  in  a  temple  at  Trondhjem,  which  king  Olaf 
Tryggvesson  hewed  in  pieces  in  the  presence  of  the 
people.  Kjotve  the  Rich,  king  of  Agder  in  Norway, 
one  of  the  chiefs  who  fought  against  Harald  Fairhair, 
had  a  weight  upon  which  the  god  Frey  was  sculptured 
in  silver.  This  treasure,  which  he  held  in  great  venera- 
tion, fell  after  the  battle  into  the  hands  of  King  Harald, 
and  he  presented  it  to  his  friend,  the  chieftain  Ingemund 
Thorstenson,  who  afterwards  carried  the  image  in  a  purse 
and  held  it  in  very  high  esteem.  This  last-mentioned 
image  was  probably  borne  as  an  amulet,  as  was  often  the 
case,  no  doubt,  with  the  gold  bracteates  which  are  found 
in  the  grave-hows  and  in  the  earth,  having  upon  them 
the  images  of  men  and  animals,  and  which  are  furnished 
with  a  clasp  for  fastening  to  a  necklace. 

*  Fax  means  Jiair. 


364  FREYJA. 

SECTION   VI.      FREYJA. 

The  goddess  of  love  is  Freyja,  also  called  Vanadis  or 
Vanabride.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Njord  and  the  sister 
of  Frey.  She  ranks  next  to  Frigg.  She  is  very  fond 
of  love  ditties,  and  all  lovers  would  do  well  to  invoke 
her.  It  is  from  her  name  that  women  of  birth  and 
fortune  are  called  in  the  Icelandic  language  1ms  frey jur 
(compare  Norse  fru  and  German  frau).  Her  abode  in 
heaven  is  called  Folkvang,  where  she  disposes  of  the 
hall-seats.  To  whatever  field  of  battle  she  rides  she 
asserts  her  right  to  one  half  the  slain,  the  other  half 
belonging   to    Odin.     Thus   the   Elder   Edda,  in    Grim- 

ner's  lay: 

Folkvang  'tis  called 
Where  Freyja  lias  right 
To  dispose  of  the  hall-seats. 
Every  day  of  the  slain 
She  chooses  the  half 
And  leaves  half  to  Odin. 

Her  mansion,  Sessrymner  (having  many  or  large 
seats),  is  large  and  magnificent;  thence  she  rides  out 
in  a  car  drawn  by  two  cats.  She  lends  a  favorable  ear 
to  those  who  sue  for  her  assistance.  She  possesses  a 
necklace  called  Brisiugamen,  or  Brising.  She  married 
a  person  called  Oder,  and  their  daughter,  named  Hnos, 
is  so  very  handsome  that  whatever  is  beautiful  and 
precious  is  called  by  her  name  hnossii'  (that  means, 
nice  things).  It  is  also  said  that  she  had  two  daughters, 
Hnos  and  Gerseme,  the  latter  name  meaning  precious. 
But  Oder  left  his  wife  in  order  to  travel  into  very 
remote  countries.  Since  that  time  Freyja  continually 
weeps,  and  her  tears  are  drops  of  pure  gold ;  hence  she 
is  also  called  the  fair -weeping  goddess  {it  grdtfagra  (jot). 
In   poetry,   gold    is    called   Freyja's    tears,   the    rain    of 


FREYJA.  365 

Freyja's  brows  or  cheeks.  She  has  a  great  variety  of 
names,  for,  having  gone  over  many  countries  in  search 
of  her  husband,  each  people  gave  her  a  different  name. 
She  is  thus  called  Mardal,  Horn,  Gefn,  Syr,  Skjalf  and 
Thrung.  It  will  also  be  remembered,  from  the  chapter 
about  Thor,  that  Freyja  had  a  falcon-guise,  and  how 
the  giant  Thrym  longed  to  possess  her.  In  the  lay  of 
Hyndla,  in  the  Elder  Edda,  Freyja  comes  to  her  friend 
and  sister,  the  giantess  Hyndla,  and  requests  her  to 
ride  to  Valhal,  to  ask  for  success  for  her  favorite  Ottar; 
promising  the  giantess  to  appease  Odin  and  Thor,  who 
of  course  were  enemies  to  the  giants.  Hyndla  is  in- 
clined to  doubt  Freyja's  remarks,  especially  as  she  comes 
to  her  with  Ottar  in  the  night.  Who  this  Ottar  was 
we  do  not  know,  excepting  that  he  was  a  son  of  the 
Norse  hero,  Instein,  and  hence  probably  a  Norseman. 
He  was  heir  to  an  estate,  but  his  right  to  it  was  dis- 
puted by  Angantyr.  It  was  therefore  necessary  to  make 
his  title  good,  and  to  enumerate  his  ancestors,  but  for 
this  he  was  too  ignorant.  Meanwhile  he  had  always 
been  a  devout  worshiper  of  the  asynjes  (goddesses),  and 
had  especially  worshiped  Freyja  by  making  sacrifices, 
images,  and  erecting  altars  to  her.  Hence  it  is  that 
she  wishes  to  help  him  in  this  important  case,  but  finds 
that  she  is  not  able,  and  it  was  for  this  reason  she 
saddled  her  golden  boar  and  went  to  the  wise  giantess 
Hyndla,  who  was  so  well  posted  in  regard  to  the  pedi- 
grees, origin  and  fates  of  gods,  giants  and  men.  Hyndla 
consents  to  giving  the  information  asked  for,  and  so 
she  enumerates  first  the  immediate  ancestors  of  Ottar 
on  his  father's  and  mother's  side,  then  speaks  of  the 
king  so  famous  in  olden  times,  Halfdan  Gamle,  the 
original  progenitor  of  the  Skjolds  and  several  other 
noble  families  of  the  North.     And  as  these  royal  fami- 


366  FREYJA. 

lies  were  said  to  be  descended  from  the  gods  and  the 
latter  again  from  the  giants,  Hyndla  gives  some  of  their 
genealogies  also.  Thus  she  gets  an  opportunity  to  speak 
of  Heimdal  and  his  giant  mothers,  then  of  Loke  and 
of  the  monsters  descended  from  him,  which  shall  play 
so  conspicuous  a  part  in  Ragnarok,  then  of  the  mighty 
god  of  thunder,  and  finally  of  a  god  yet  more  mighty, 
whom  she  ventures  not  to  name,  and  here  she  ends 
her  tale.  She  will  not  prophesy  further  than  to  where 
Odin  is  swallowed  by  the  Fenris-wolf  and  the  world  by 
the  yawning  abyss.  Freyja  after  this  asks  her  for  a 
drink  of  remembrance  to  give  to  Ottar,  her  guest  and 
favorite,  in  order  that  he  might  be  able  to  remember 
the  whole  talk  and  the  pedigree  two  days  afterwards, 
when  the  case  between  him  and  Angantyr  should  be 
decided  by  proofs  of  this  kind.  Hyndla  refuses  to  do 
this,  and  upbraids  her  with  abusive  language.  By  this 
Freyja  is  excited  to  wrath  and  threatens  to  kindle  a 
fire  around  the  giantess,  from  which  she  would  not  be 
able  to  escape,  if  she  did  not  comply  with  her  request. 
When  the  threat  begins  to  be  carried  out  (at  the  break- 
ing forth  of  the  flaming  aurora  in  the  morning)  Hyndla 
gives  the  requested  drink,  but  at  the  same  time  curses  it. 
Freyja  is  not  terrified  by  this,  but  removes  the  curse  by 
her  blessing  and  earnest  prayers  to  all  divinities  for  the 
success  of  her  beloved  Ottar. 

We  should  like  to  give  the  lay  in  full,  as  it  is  found 
in  the  Elder  Edda,  but  having  quoted  several  strophes 
from  it  before,  and  it  being  quite  long,  we  reluctantly 
omit  it.  We  advise  our  readers,  however,  by  all  means 
to  read  the  Elder  Edda.  There  is  more  profound 
thought  in  it  than  in  any  other  human  work,  not  even 
Shakespeare  excepted.  What  a  pity  that  it  is  so  little 
known ! 


FRETJA.  367 

Women  came  after  death  to  Freyja.  When  Egil 
Skalhigrimson  had  lost  his  young  son,  and  was  despair- 
ing unto  death  on  this  account,  his  daughter  Thorgerd, 
who  was  married  to  Olaf  in  Lax-aa-dal,  comes  to  console 
him;  and  when  she  hears  that  he  will  neither  eat  nor 
drink,  then  she  also  says  that  she  has  not  and  will  not 
eat  or  drink  before  she  comes  to  Freyja.  With  her, 
lovers  who  have  been  faithful  unto  death  are  gathered; 
therefore  Hagbard  sings:  Love  is  renewed  in  Freyja's 
halls. 

Freyja  is  the  goddess  of  love  between  man  and  woman. 
Hence  we  find  in  her  nature,  beauty,  grace,  modesty,  the 
longings,  joys,  and  tears  of  love,  and  we  find  also  that 
burning  love  in  the  heart  which  breaks  out  in  wild 
flames.  She  rules  in  ^o/^vang,  in  the  human  dwellings, 
where  there  are  seats  enough  for  all.  No  one  escapes  her 
influence.  Odin  shares  the  slain  equally  with  her,  for  the 
hero  has  two  grand  objects  in  view  —  to  conquer  his  enemy 
and  to  win  the  heart  of  the  maiden. 

Thus  the  Norse  mythology  teaches  us  that  the  sturdy 
Norseman  was  not  insusceptible  to  impressions  from 
beauty  nor  unmoved  by  love.  The  most  beautiful  flowers 
were  named  after  Freyja's  hair  and  eye-dew,  and  even 
animate  objects,  which,  like  the  flowers,  were  remarkable 
for  their  beauty,  were  named  after  this  goddess,  as  for 
instance  the  butterfly  (Icel.  Freyjuheena  —  Freyja's  hen). 

There  is  a  semi-mythological  Saga  called  Orvarodd's 
Saga.  Orvarodd  signifies  Arrow-odd;  and  as  this  same 
Arrow-odd  is  implicated  in  a  large  number  of  love 
exploits,  it  has  been  suggested  that  he  may  be  Freyja's 
husband,  whose  name  the  reader  remembers  was  Oder,  the 
stem  of  which  is  od,  and  hence  we  have  in  the  North  also 
not  only 'a  goddess  of  love,  but  also  a  god  of  love  (Cupid), 
with  his  arrows! 


368  A    BRIEF   REVIEW. 

Freyja's  cats  symbolize  sly  fondling  and  sensual  enjoy- 
ment. The  name  of  her  husband,  Oder,  means  sense, 
understanding,  but  also  wild  desire.  The  various  names 
bestowed  ui3on  Freyja  when  she  travels  among  the  dif- 
ferent nations  denote  the  various  modes  by  which  love 
reveals  itself  in  human  life.  The  goddesses  Sjofn,  Lofn, 
and  Var,  heretofore  mentioned,  were  regarded  as  messen- 
gers and  attendants  of  Freyja.  Friday  (dies  Veneris)  is 
named  after  her.     (See  page  237.) 

SECTIOSr   VII.      A    BRIEF    REVIEW. 

The  lives  and  exploits  of  the  propitious  divinities 
have  now  been  presented;  and  in  presenting  the  myths 
we  have  not  only  given  the  forces  and  phenomena 
of  nature  symbolized  by  the  myths,  ])ut  we  have  also 
tried  to  bring  the  mythology  down  from  heaven  to  the 
earth,  and  exhibit  the  value  it  had  in  the  minds  of  our 
ancestors.  We  have  tried,  as  Socrates  did  with  his 
philosophy,  to  show  what  influence  the  myths  have  had 
upon  the  life  of  our  forefathers ;  in  other  words,  we  have 
tried  to  put  a  kernel  into  the  shell.  We  have  tried  to 
present  the  mythology,  not  as  the  science  and  laws  by 
which  the  universe  is  governed,  but  as  something — call 
it  science  or  what  you  will  —  by  which  to  illustrate  how 
the  contemplation  of  the  forces  and  phenomena  of  nature 
have  influenced  human  thought  and  action.  Language 
is  in  its  origin  nothing  but  impressions  from  nature, 
which  having  been  revolved  for  a  time  in  the  human 
mind  find  their  expression  in  words.  Poetry  is  in  its 
origin  nothing  else  but  expressions  of  human  thought 
and  feeling  called  forth  by  the  contemplation  of  the 
wonderful  works  of  God.  And  this  is  also^true  of 
mythology. 


A   BKIEF    REVIEW.  369 

We  have  found  the  propitious  divinities  divided  into 
three  classes,  those  of  heaven,  those  of  earth,  and  those 
of  the  sea.  The  union  or  marriage  between  heaven  and 
earth  has  been  presented  in  various  myths.  The  king 
of  heaven  is  but  one,  but  he  embraces  the  earth  in  va- 
rious forms,  and  the  earth  is,  in  a  new  form,  wedded  to 
the  god  of  thunder;  nay,  the  vans,  or  divinities  of  the 
sea,  arise  and  fill  the  land  with  blessings  in  various  ways. 
The  manner  in  which  the  gods  are  combined  and  inter- 
linked with  each  other  in  one  grand  system  is  a  feature 
peculiar  to  the  Norse  mythology.  There  is  not,  as  in 
the  Greek,  a  series  of  separate  groups  and  separate  dwell- 
ings, but  the  gods  come  in  frequent  contact  with  each 
other.  Odin  rules  iu  the  heavens,  Thor  in  the  clouds, 
Heimdal  in  the  rainbow,  Balder  in  the  realms  of  light, 
Frey  with  his  elves  of  light  in  the  earth,  but  the  sun 
affects  them  all :  it  is  Odin's  eye,  it  is  Balder's  counte- 
nance, Heimdal  needs  it  for  his  rainbow,  and  Frey  governs 
its  rays ;  and  still  the  sun  itself  rides  as  a  beaming  maid 
with  her  horses  from  morning  until  evening.  The  earth 
has  its  various  forms,  and  the  seed  planted  in  the  earth 
has  its  own  god  (Frey),  surrounded  by  the  spirits  of  the 
groves,  the  forests  and  the  fountains.  And  the  king  of 
heaven  unites  man  with  nature;  he  not  only  provides 
for  his  animal  life,  but  also  breathes  into  him  a  living 
soul  and  inspires  him  with  enthusiasm.  He  sits  with 
Saga  at  the  fountain  of  history ;  he  sends  out  his  son 
Brage,  the  god  of  poetry  and  eloquence,  and  unites  him 
with  Idun,  the  rejuvenating  goddess,  whose  carefully 
protected  rivers  meander  through  the  grove  full  of  fruit 
trees  bearing  golden  apples;  and  he  lets  his  other  son, 
Balder,  the  ruler  of  light,  marry  the  industrious  flower- 
goddess,  Nanna,  Avho  with  her  maids  spreads  a  fragrant 
carpet  over  the  earth.     And  as  the  god  of  thunder  rules 


370  A    BKIEF    EEVIEW. 

but  to  protect  heaven  and  earth,  so  the  naked  desert 
and  the  impenetrable  forest  exist  only  to  remind  us  of 
the  incorruptible  vital  force  of  nature,  safe  against  all 
attacks.  The  imperishableness  of  nature  appears  more 
strikingly  in  the  stupendous  mountains  and  gigantic 
forests  than  in  the  fertile,  cultivated  and  protected  parts 
of  the  earth.  Now  let  us  again  ask:  Is  there  nothing 
here  for  the  poet  or  artist?  Has  the  Norse  mythology 
nothing  that  can  be  elaborated  and  clothed  with  beau- 
ful  forms  and  colors  ?  Does  this  mythology  not  con- 
tain germs  that  art  can  develop  into  fragrant  leaves, 
swelling  buds  and  radiant  blossoms  ?  Does  not  this 
our  Gothic  inheritance  deserve  a  place  with  the  hand- 
maids of  literature?  Will  not  our  poets,  public  speak- 
ers, lecturers,  essayists,  and  writers  of  elegant  literature 
generally,  who  make  so  many  quaint  allusions  to,  and 
borrow  so  many  elegant  and  suggestive  illustrations 
from,  Greek  mythology;  will  they  not,  we  say,  do 
their  own  ancestors  the  honor  to  dip  their  pen  occa- 
sionally into  the  mythology  of  the  Gothic  race?  It  is 
bad  practice  to  borrow  when  we  can  get  along  without 
it,  besides  the  products  of  the  south  thrive  not  well  in 
our  northern  Gothic  soil  and  climate.  Ygdrasil  grows 
better  here,  and  that  is  a  tree  large  enough  and  fruitful 
enough  to  sustain  the  Gothic  race  with  enthusiasm  and 
insjoiration  for  centuries  yet  to  come,  and  to  supply  a 
whole  race  of  future  bards  and  poets  and  artists  with  a 
precious  and  animating  elixir.  Our  next  generation 
will  comprehend  this. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE   DEVELOPMENT   OF  EVIL.     LOKE  AND 
HIS   OFFSPEING. 

SECTION    I.       LOKE. 

"TTyE  have  now  made  an  acquaintance  with  the  h'ves 
VV  and  exploits  of  the  good  and  propitious  divini- 
ties, with  the  asas  and  vans.  But  what  of  the  evil  ? 
Whence  come  they,  and  how  have  they  been  developed  ? 
Many  a  philosopher  has  puzzled  his  brain  with  this  vexed 
question,  and  the  wisest  minds  are  still  engaged  in  deep 
meditations  in  regard  to  it.  It  is  and  will  remain  an 
unsolved  problem.  But  what  did  the  old  Goths,  and 
particularly  our  Norse  forefathers,  think  about  the 
development  of  evil  ?  What  forms  did  it  assume  among 
them  ?  How  did  it  spring  forth  in  nature,  and  how  did 
it  impress  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  people?  These 
are  questions  now  to  be  answered: 

There  are  in  the  Norse  mythology  two  individuals 
by  the  name  of  Loke.  The  one  is  Utgard-hoke,  hideous 
in  his  whole  being,  and  his  character  was  sketched  in 
the  myth  about  Thor  and  Skrymer  (see  pp.  312-322) ;  he 
represents  physical  and  moral  evil  in  all  its  naked  loath- 
someness. The  other  is  Asa-ljoke,  of  whom  there  also 
have  been  accounts  given  at  various  times  in  connection 
with  the  propitious  gods ;  and  it  is  of  him  solely  we  are 
now  to  speak,  as  the  former  belongs  wholly  to  the  race 
of  giants.    Asa-Loke,  whom  we  shall  hereafter  call  by  his 

(371) 


373  LOKE. 

common  name,  Loke,  is  the  same  evil  principle  in  all  its 
various  manifestations;  but  as  he  makes  his  appearance 
among  the  gods,  he  represents  evil  in  the  seductive  and 
seemingly  beautiful  form  in  vrhich  it  glides  about  through 
the  world.  We  find  him  flowing  in  the  veins  of  the 
human  race  and  call  him  sin,  or  passion.  In  nature  he 
is  the  corrupting  element  in  air,  fire  and  water.  In  the 
bowels  of  the  earth  he  is  the  volcanic  flame,  in  the  sea 
he  appears  as  a  fierce  serpent,  and  in  the  lower  world 
we  recognize  him  as  jsale  death.  Thus,  like  Odin,  Loke 
pervades  all  nature.  And  in  no  divinity  is  it  more  clear 
than  in  this,  that  the  idea  proceeding  from  the  visible 
workings  of  nature  entered  the  human  heart  and  mind 
and  there  found  its  moral  or  ethical  reflection.  Loke 
symbolizes  sin,  shrewdness,  deceitfulness,  treachery,  mal- 
ice, etc.  Loke  is  indeed  in  his  development  one  of  the 
profoundest  myths.  In  the  beginning  he  was  intimately 
connected  with  Odin,  then  he  became  united  with  the  air, 
and  finally  he  impersonates  the  destructive  fire.  And  in 
these  changes  he  keeps  growing  worse  and  worse. 

In  the  banquet  of  ^ger  he  reminds  Odin  that  they 
in  the  beginning  of  time  had  their  blood  mixed.  Thus 
the  Elder  Edda: 

LOKE  : 

Do  tliou  mind,  Odin, 

That  we  in  time's  morning 

Mixed  blood  together! 

Then  thou  preteudedst 

That  thou  never  wouldst  ask  a  drink 

Unless  it  was  offered  to  both  of  us. 

Sameness  of  blood  symbolizes  sameness  of  mind,  and 
Loke  is  in  the  Younger  Edda  called  Odin's  brother,  the 
uncle  of  the  gods.  Under  the  name  of  Loder,  or  Lopter, 
Loke  took  part  in  the  creation  of  man ;  he  gave  the 
senses,  the  sources  of  evil  desires,  the  passions,  the  fire 


LOKE.  373 

of  the  veins.  Thus  he  is  like  the  fire,  which  is  benefi- 
cent and  necessary  for  development,  but  also  dangerous 
and  destructive.  With  the  giantess  Angerboda  (pro- 
ducing sorrow)  he  begat  the  wolf  Fenrer,  but  the  most 
disgusting  monster  is  the  woman  Hel,  who  is  a  daughter 
of  Loke.  Odin  unites  himself  with  the  gigantic  force 
in  nature,  but  he  does  this  to  develop,  ennoble  and 
elevate  it.  Loke  unites  himself  with  crude  matter,  but 
by  this  union  he  only  still  further  develops  the  evil 
principle,  v/hich  then  expresses  itself  in  all  kinds  of 
terrible  phenomena:  the  sea  tosses  its  waves  against 
heaven  itself,  and  rushes  out  upon  the  land ;  the  air 
trembles ;  then  comes  snow  and  howling  winds ;  the  rain 
splashes  down  upon  the  earth,  etc.  Such  is  also  his 
influence  upon  the  human  mind.  He  is  the  sly,  treacher- 
ous father  of  lies.  In  appearance  he  is  beautiful  and 
fair,  but  in  his  mind  he  is  evil,  and  in  his  inclinations 
he  is  inconstant.  Notwithstanding  his  being  ranked 
among  the  gods,  he  is  the  slanderer  of  the  gods,  the 
grand  contriver  of  deceit  and  fraud,  the  reproach  of 
gods  and  men.  Nobody  renders  him  divine  honors.  // 
He  surpasses  all  mortals  in  the  arts  of  perfidy  and 
craft. 

There  is  some  dispute  about  the  real  meaning  of 
Loke's  name.  Some  derive  it  from  the  Icelandic  luTca, 
to  end,  thus  arguing  that  Loke  is  the  end  and  consum- 
mation of  divinity.  Another  definition  is  given,  taken 
from  the  Icelandic  log  (Anglo-Saxon  Jig),  according  to 
which  the  primary  meaning  would  be  fire,  flame.  He 
is  also  called  Loder,  or  Loptcr  (the  aerial;  compare 
Norse  luft,  Anglo-Saxon  lyft,  air) ;  and  this  would  seem 
to  corroborate  the  definition  of  Loke  as  fire.  Loder 
{lodern,  to  blaze)  would  then  designate  him  in  the  char- 
acter   of  the   blazing   earthly   fire,   and    Lopter   as   the 


374  LOKE. 

heated  and  unsteady  air.  He  is  son  of  the  giant  Far- 
baute,  that  is,  the  one  who  strikes  the  ships,  the  wind. 
His  mother  is  Laufey,  or  Nal,  the  former  meaning  leaf- 
isle,  and  the  latter  needle.  Oak  trees  produce  leaves  and 
pines  produce  needles;  both  Laufey  and  Nal  are  there- 
fore combustibles.  His  brotbers  are  Byleist  (dwelling 
destroyer,  raging  flame),  and  Helblinde,  the  latter  being 
another  name  for  Odin. 

In  the  previous  chapters  it  has  frequently  been  seen 
how  Loke  time  and  again  accompanied  the  gods,  they 
making  use  of  his  strength  and  cunning;  but  it  has 
also  been  shown  how  he  acted  in  concert  with  the 
jotuns  and  exposed  the  gods  to  very  great  perils  and 
then  extricated  them  again  by  his  artifices.  By  Loke's 
advice  the  gods  engage  the  artificer  to  build  a  dwelling 
so  well  fortified  that  they  should  be  perfectly  safe  from 
the  incursions  of  the  frost-giants.  For  this  the  artificer 
is  to  receive  Freyja,  providing  he  completes  his  work 
within  a  stipulated  time;  but  Loke  prevented  him  from 
completing  his  task  by  the  birth  of  Sleipner.  When  the 
dwarfs  forge  the  precious  things  for  the  gods,  it  is  he 
who  brings  about  tbat  the  work  lacks  perfection,  and 
even  the  handle  of  Thor's  mallet,  Mjolner,  becomes  too 
short ;  for  evil  is  everywhere  present  and  makes  the  best 
things  defective.  He  cuts  the  hair  of  the  goddess  Sif,  and 
by  this  he  makes  way  for  the  forging  of  the  precious  arti- 
cles; thus  evil  often  in  spite  of  itself  produces  good 
results.  Examples  of  this  abound  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  Loke  gives  Thjasse  an  opportunity  to  rob  Idun, 
but  brings  her  back  again  and  thus  causes  Thjasse's 
death.  He  hungers  at  Geirrod's,  and  causes  Thor  to 
undertake  his  dangerous  journey ;  but  he  also  looks  after 
Thor's  hammer,  and  accompanies  him  as  maid-servant  to 
get  it  back.     He  steals  Freyja's  Brisingamen,  and  quar- 


LOKE.  375 

rels  with  Heimdal  about  it.  But  his  worst  deed  is  Bal- 
der's  death.  For  these  reasons  Loke  is  in  Old  Norse 
l^oetry  called:  son  of  Farbaute,  son  of  Laufey,  son  of  Nal, 
brother  of  Byleist,  brother  of  Helblinde,  father  of  the 
Fenris-wolf,  father  of  the  Midgard-serpent,  father  of  Hel, 
uncle  of  Odin,  visitor  and  chest-goods  of  Geirrod,  thief  of 
Brisingamen  and  of  Idun's  apples,  defender  of  Sigyn  (his 
wife),  Sif's  hair  destroyer,  adviser  of  Balder's  bane,  etc. 
Odhi,  Hoener  and  Loke  are  often  togethei-.  It  is  re- 
lated that  they  once  set  out  to  explore  the  whole  world. 
They  came  to  a  stream,  and  followed  it  until  they  came 
to  a  force  (cascade)  where  there  sat  an  otter  near  the 
force.  It  had  caught  a  salmon  in  the  force  and  sat 
half  sleeping  eating  it.  Then  Loke  picked  up  a  stone 
and  threw  it  at  the  otter,  struck  it  in  the  head  and  then 
boasted  of  his  deed,  for  he  had  killed  or  captured  both 
the  otter  and  salmon  with  one  stone.  They  then  took 
the  salmon  and  otter  with  them  and  came  to  a  gard 
(farm),  where  they  entered  the  house.  The  bonde,* 
who  lived  there,  hight  Hreidmar,  an  able  fellow  well 
skilled  in  necromancy.  The  gods  asked  for  night  lodg- 
ings, but  added  that  they  were  supplied  with  provis- 
ions; whereupon  they  showed  what  they  had  caught. 
But  when  Hreidmar  saw  the  otter  he  called  to  him  his 
sons  Fafner  and  Regin,  and  told  them  that  their  brother 
Odder  (otter)  had  been  slain,  and  who  had  done  it. 
Father  and  sons  then  attacked  the  gods,  overpower  and 
bind  them,  and  then  inform  them  that  the  otter  was 
Hreidmar's  son.  The  gods  offered  a  ransom  for  their 
lives,  as  large  as  Hreidmar  himself  would  determine  it; 
they  made  a  treaty  accordingly,  confirming  it  with  oaths. 
When  the  otter  then  had  been  flayed,  Hreidmar  took 
the  skin  and  demanded  that  they  should  fill  it  with 
shining  gold  and  then  perfectly  cover  it  with  the  same. 

*  Peasant,  farmer. 


376  LOKE. 

These  were  the  terms  of  agreement.  Then  Odin  sent 
Loke  to  the  home  of  the  swarthy  elves  (Svartalf-heim), 
where  he  met  the  dwarf  Audvare  (wary,  cautious  spirit), 
who  lived  as  a  fish,  in  the  water.  Loke  borrowed  Ran's 
net  and  caught  him,  and  demanded  of  him,  as  a  ran- 
som for  his  life,  all  the  gold  he  had  in  the  rock,  where 
he  dwelt.  And  when  they  came  into  the  rock  the  dwarf 
produced  all  the  gold  which  he  possessed,  which  was  a 
considerable  amount ;  but  Loke  observed  that  the  dwarf 
concealed  under  his  arm  a  gold  ring,  and  ordered  him 
to  give  it  up.  The  dwarf  prayed  Loke  by  all  means  to 
let  him  keep  it;  for  when  he  kept  this  ring,  he  said, 
he  could  produce  for  himself  more  of  the  metal  from 
it.  But  Loke  said  that  he  should  not  keep  so  much  as 
a  penny,  and  took  the  ring  from  him,  and  went  out. 
Then  said  the  dwarf,  that  that  ring  should  be  the 
bane  of  the  person  who  possessed  it.  Loke  had  no 
objection  to  this,  and  said  that,  in  order  that  this  pur- 
pose should  be  kept,  he  should  bring  these  words  to  the 
knowledge  of  him  who  should  possess  it.  Then  Loke 
returned  to  Hreidmar,  and  showed  Odin  the  gold;  but 
when  the  latter  saw  the  ring  he  thought  it  was  pretty; 
he  therefore,  taking  it,  gave  Hreidmar  the  rest  of  the 
gold.  Hreidmar  then  filled  the  otter-skin  as  well  as  he 
could,  and  set  it  down  when  it  was  full.  Then  Odin  went 
to  cover  the  bag  with  gold,  and  afterwards  bade  Hreid- 
mar see  whether  the  bag  was  perfectly  covered ;  but 
Hreidmar  examined,  and  looked  carefully  in  every  place, 
and  found  an  uncovered  hair  near  the  mouth,  which 
Odin  would  have  to  cover,  or  the  agreement  would  be 
broken.  Then  Odin  produced  the  ring  and  covered  the 
hair  with  it,  and  said  that  they  now  had  paid  the  otter- 
ransom.  But  when  Odin  had  taken  his  spear,  and  Loke 
his  shoes,  so  that  they  had  nothing  more  to  fear,  Loke 


LOKE.  377 

said  that  the  curse  of  the  dwarf  Andvare  should  be  ful- 
filled, aud  that  this  gold  and  this  ring  should  be  the 
bane  of  him  who  possessed  it.  From  this  myth  it  is 
that  gold  is  poetically  called  otter-ransom. 

And  the  curse  was  fulfilled.  This  curse  of  ill-gotten 
gold  became  the  root  of  a  series  of  mortal  calamities, 
which  are  related  in  the  latter  part  of  the  Elder  Edda, 
in  the  songs  about  Sigurd  Fafner's  bane,  or  the  Slayer 
of  Fafner;  about  Brynhild,  about  Gudrun's  sorrow, 
Gudrun's  revenge,  in  the  song  about  Atle,  etc.  The 
curse  on  the  gold,  pronounced  upon  it  by  Andvare,  the 
dwarf,  is  the  grand  moral  in  these  wonderful  songs, 
and  never  was  moral  worked  out  more  terribly.  Even 
Shakespeare  has  no  tragedy  equal  to  it.  When  Odin 
and  Loke  had  gone  away,  Fafner  and  Eegin  demanded 
from  their  father,  Hreidmar,  a  share  of  the  ransom  in 
the  name  of  their  brother  Odder ;  but  Hreidmar  refused, 
so  Fafner  pierced  his  father  with  a  sword  while  he 
slept.  Thus  Hreidmar  died,  but  Fafner  took  all  the 
gold.  Then  Eegin  demanded  his  paternal  inheritance, 
but  Fafner  refused  to  give  it,  and  disappeared.  Another 
prominent  character  in  the  Edda  is  Sigurd,  who  fre- 
quently visited  Eegin  and  told  him  that  Fafner,  having 
assumed  the  shape  of  a  monstrous  dragon,  lay  on  Gnita 
Heath,  and  had  ^Eger's  helmet,  the  helmet  of  terror, 
before  which  all  living  trembled.  Eegin  made  a  sword 
for  Sigurd,  which  was  called  Gram  ;  it  was  so  sharp  that 
when  it  stood  in  the  river  and  a  tuft  of  wool  floated  on 
the  current,  the  sword  would  cut  the  wool  as  easily  as 
the  water.  With  this  sword  Sigurd  cut  Eegin's  anvil  in 
twain.  Eegin  excites  Sigurd  to  kill  Fafner,  and  accord- 
ingly Sigurd  and  Eegin  proceeded  on  their  way  to  Gnita 
Heath,  and  discovered  Fafner's  path,  whereupon  the  lat- 
ter (Fafner)  crept  into  the  water.  In  the  way  Sigurd 
32 


378  LOKE. 

dug  a  large  grave  and  went  down  into  it.  When  Fafner 
now  crept  away  from  the  gold  he  S2:)it  jioison,  but  this 
flew  over  Sigurd's  head,  and  as  Fafner  passed  over  the 
grave  Sigurd  pierced  him  with  his  sword  to  the  heart. 
Fafner  trembled  convulsively,  and  fiercely  shook  his 
head  and  tail.  Sigurd  sprang  out  of  the  grave  when 
they  saw  each  other.  Then  a  conversation  takes  place 
between  them,  in  which  Fafner  heaps  curses  upon  Sigurd 
until  the  former  expires.  Eegin  had  gone  away  while 
Sigurd  killed  Fafner,  but  came  back  while  Sigurd  was 
wiping  the  blood  off  the  sword. 

REGIN : 
Hail  to  tliee  now,  Sigurd  ! 
Now  tliou  liast  victory  won 
And  Fafner  slain. 

Among  all  men  who  tread  tlie  earth 
Most  fearless 
I  proclaim  thee  to  be  born. 

SIGUKD  : 

Uncertain  it  is  to  know. 

When  we  all  come  together, 

Sons  of  victorious  gods, 

Who  was  born  most  fearless ; 

Many  a  man  is  brave 

Who  still  does  not  thrust  the  blade 

Into  another  man's  breast. 

KEGIN  : 
Glad  art  thou  now,  Sigurd, 
Glad  of  thy  victory, 
As  thou  wipest  Gram  on  the  grass. 
Thou  hast  my 
Brother  wounded. 
Let  myself  have  some  share  therein. 

SIGUKD : 
It  was  thou  who  caused 
That  I  should  ride 


LOKE.  379 

Hither  over  frosty  mountains ; 

His  wealth  and  life 

Would  the  spotted  snake  still  possess, 

Hadst  thou  not  excited  me  to  fight. 

Then  went  Begin  to  Fafner  and  cut  the  heart  out 
of  him  with  the  sword  called  Eidel,  and  afterwards 
drank  the  blood  from  the  wound.     He  said: 

Sit  down  now,  Sigurd! 

I  will  go  to  sleep : 

Hold  Fafner's  heart  by  the  fire. 

Such  a  repast 

Will  I  partake  of 

After  this  drink  of  blood. 

SIGURD  : 
Thou  didst  absent  thyself 
When  I  in  Fafner's  blood 
My  sharp  blade  stained. 
I  set  my  strength 
Against  the  power  of  the  dragon 
While  thou  didst  lie  in  the  heath. 

REGIN : 
Long  wouldst  thou 
Have  let  the  old 
Troll  lie  in  the  heath, 
Hadst  thou  not  used 
The  sword  which  I  made, 
Thy  sharpened  blade. 

SIGURD : 
Courage  is  better 
Than  sword-strength 
Where  angry  men  must  fight ; 
For  the  brave  man 
I  always  see  win 
Victory  with  a  dull  blade. 
It  is  better  for  the  brave  man 
Than  for  the  coward 
To  join  in  the  battle, 
It  is  better  for  the  glad 


380  LOKE. 

Than  for  the  sorrowing 
In  all  circumstances. 

Sigurd  took  Fatner's  heart,  put  it  on  a  spit  and 
roasted  it;  but  when  he  thought  it  must  be  roasted 
enough,  and  when  the  juice  oozed  out  of  the  heart,  he 
felt  of  it  with  his  fingers  to  see  whether  it  was  well  done. 
He  burned  himself,  and  put  his  finger  into  his  mouth,  but 
when  the  blood  of  Fafner's  heart  touched  his  tongue  he 
understood  the  song  of  birds.  He  heard  birds  singing  in 
the  bushes,  and  seven  birds  sang  a  strophe  each,  talking 
about  how  Eegin  might  avenge  his  brother,  kill  Sigurd, 
and  possess  the  treasure  alone,  when  Sigurd  finally  says : 

Not  so  violent 

Will  fate  be,  that  Regin 

Shall  announce  my  death ; 

For  soon  shall  both 

Brothers  go 

Hence  to  Hel. 

And  he  cut  the  head  off  Regin,  ate  afterwards  Fafner's 
heart,  and  drank  both  his  and  Regin's  blood.  Then 
Sigurd  heard  the  birds  sing: 

Sigurd !  gather 

Golden  rings ; 

It  is  not  royal 

To  be  smothered  by  fear. 

I  know  a  maid 

Fairer  than  all 

Endowed  with  gold, 

If  thou  couldst  but  get  her. 

To  Gjuke  lie 

Green  paths,  ,. 

Fortune  beckons 

The  wanderers  forward ; 

There  a  famous  king 

Has  fostered  a  daughter, — 

Her  thou,  Sigurd,  must  win. 


LOKE.  381 

Sigurd  followed  the  track  of  the  dragon  to  his  nest 
and  found  it  open.  Its  doors  and  door-frames,  and  all 
the  beams  and  posts  of  the  place,  were  of  iron,  but  the 
treasure  was  buried  in  the  ground.  There  Sigurd  found 
a  large  heap  of  gold,  with  which  he  filled  two  chests. 
Then  he  took  the  helmet  of  terror  (^ger's  helmet),  a 
gold  cuirass,  the  sword  Hrotte,  and  many  treasures, 
which  he  put  on  the  back  of  the  horse  Grane,  but  the 
horse  would  not  proceed  before  Sigurd  mounted  it  also. 

This  is  but  the  beginning  of  this  terrible  tragedy,  but 
our  space  does  not  allow  us  here  to  enter  upon  all  the 
fatal  results  of  the  curse  of  Andvare.  In  the  fate,  first 
of  Sigurd  and  Brynhild,  and  afterwards  of  Sigurd  and 
Gudrun,  is  depicted  passion,  tenderness  and  sorrow  with 
a  vivid  power  which  nowhere  has  a  superior.  The  men 
are  princely  warriors  and  the  women  are  not  only  fair, 
but  godlike,  in  their  beauty  and  vigor.  The  noblest  / 
sentiments  and  most  heroic  actions  are  crossed  by  the 
foulest  crimes  and  the  most  terrific  tragedies.  In  this 
train  of  events,  produced  by  the  curse  of  Andvare  alone, 
there  is  material  for  a  score  of  dramas  of  the  most  absorb- 
ing character.  In  the  story  of  Sigurd  and  Brynhild,  as 
we  find  it  in  the  latter  part  of  the  Elder  Edda,  there  are 
themes  for  tragic  and  heroic  composition  that  would 
become  as  immortal  as  Dante's  Inferno  or  Shakespeare's 
Macbetli,  for  they  are  based  on  our  profoundest  sympa- 
thies, and  appeal  most  forcibly  to  our  ideas  of  the  beau- 
tiful and  the  true. 

The  ring  Andvarenaut  (Andvare's  gift),  as  it  is  called, 
here  as  elsewhere,  symbolizes  wealth,  which  increases  in 
the  hands  of  the  wary,  careful  Andvare  {and-vare,  wary). 
But  for  avarice,  that  never  gets  enough,  it  becomes  a 
destructive  curse.    It  is  perfectly  in  harmony  with  Loke's 


382  loke's  children. 

character    to  be    satisfied   and  pleased   with    the   eurse 
attached  to  the  ring.* 

SECTION    II.      loke's    children.      THE    FENRIS-WOLF. 

Loke's  wife  was  Sigyn ;  their  son  was  Nare  or  Narfe, 
and  a  brother  of  him  was  Ale  (Ole)  or  Vale. 

With  the  hag,  Angerbode,  Loke  had  three  children. 
Angerbode  was  a  giantess  of  Jotunheim,  and  her  name 
means  anguish-boding.  The  children's  names  are  Fenrer 
or  Fenris-wolf,  the  Midgard-serpent  called  Jormungander, 
and  Hel.  The  gods  were  not  long  ignorant  that  these 
monsters  continued  to  be  bred  up  in  Jotunheim,  and, 
having  had  recourse  to  divination,  became  aware  of  all 
the  evils  they  would  have  to  suffer  from  them ;  that  they 
were  sprung  from  such  a  bad  mother  was  a  bad  omen, 
and  from  such  a  father,  one  still  worse.  Allfather  (Odin) 
therefore  deemed  it  advisable  to  send  the  gods  to  bring 
them  to  him.  When  they  came,  he  threw  the  serpent 
into  that  deep  ocean  by  which  the  earth  is  encircled.  But 
the  monster  has  grown  to  such  an  enormous  size,  that 
holding  his  tail  in  his  mouth  .  he  engirdles  the  whole 
earth.  Hel  he  cast  headlong  into  Niflheim,  and  gave  her 
power  over  nine  worlds  (regions),  into  which  she  dis- 
tributes those  who  are  sent  to  her, —  that  is  to  say,  all  who 
die  through  sickness  or  old  age.  Here  she  possesses  a 
habitation  protected  by  exceedingly  high  walls  and 
strongly-barred  gates.  Her  hall  is  called  Elvidner  (place 
of  storm);  hunger  is  her  table;  starvation,  her  knife; 
delay,  her  man-servant;  slowness,  her  maid-servant; 
precipice,  her  threshold;  care,  her  bed;  and  burning 
anguish    forms   the  hangings  of   her    apartments.      The 

*  To  anyone  who  wishes  to  read  this  great  epic  of  the  North,  we  would 
recommend  the  Volmnga  Saga  translated  by  Eirikir  Magnusson  and  William 
Morris.    London,  1872. 


THE   FENEIS-WOLF.  383 

one  half  of  her  body  is  livid,  the  other  half  the  color  of 
human  flesh.  She  may  therefore  easily  be  recognized; 
the  more  so  as  she  has  a  dreadfully  stern  and  grim 
countenance. 

The  wolf  Fenrer  Avas  bred  up  among  the  gods,  but 
Tyr  alone  had  courage  enough  to  go  and  feed  him. 
Nevertheless,  when  the  gods  perceived  that  he  every  day 
increased  prodigiously  in  size,  and  that  the  oracles  warned 
them  that  he  would  one  day  become  fatal  to  them,  they 
determined  to  make  a  very  strong  iron  chain  for  him, 
which  they  called  Leding.  Taking  this  fetter  to  the 
wolf,  they  requested  him  to  try  his  strength  on  it.  Fen- 
rer, perceiving  that  the  enterprise  would  not  be  very 
difficult  for  him,  let  them  do  what  they  pleased,  permitted 
himself  to  be  bound,  and  then  by  great  muscular  exertion 
burst  the  chain  and  set  himself  at  liberty.  The  gods 
having  seen  this,  made  another  chain,  twice  as  strong 
as  the  former,  and  this  they  called  Drome.  They  pre- 
vailed on  the  wolf  to  put  it  on,  assuring  him  that,  by 
breaking  this,  he  would  give  an  incontestible  proof  of 
his  strength ;  it  would  be  a  great  honor  to  him  if  so 
great  a  chain  could  not  hold  him. 

The  wolf  saw  well  enough  that  it  would  not  be  so 
easy  to  break  this  fetter,  but  finding  at  the  same  time 
that  his  strength  had  increased  since  he  broke  Leding, 
and  thinking  that  he  could  never  become  famous  with- 
out running  some  risk,  he  voluntarily  submitted  to  be 
chained.  "When  the  gods  told  him  that  they  had  finished 
their  task,  Fenrer  shook  himself  violently,  stretched  his 
limbs,  rolled  on  the  ground,  and  at  last  burst  his  chains, 
which  flew  in  pieces  all  around  him.  He  thus  freed 
himself  from  Drome.  From  that  time  we  have  the 
proverbs,  to  get  loose  out  of  Leding,  or  to  dash  out  of 


384  THE   FEKRIS-WOLF. 

Drome,  when  anything  is  to  be  accomplished  by  pow- 
erful efforts. 

After  this  the  gods  despaired  of  ever  being  able  to 
bind  the  wolf;  wherefore  Odin  sent  Skirner,  the  mes- 
senger of  Frey,  down  to  the  abode  of  the  dark  elves 
(Svartalf-heim),  to  engage  certain  dwarfs  to  make  the 
chain  called  Gleipner.  It  was  made  out  of  six  things, 
namely,  the  noise  made  by  the  footstep  of  a  cat,  the 
beard  of  a  woman,  the  roots  of  the  mountains,  the 
sinews  of  the  bear,  the  breath  of  the  fish,  and  the 
spittle  of  birds  (the  enumeration  of  these  things  pro- 
duces alliteration  in  Icelandic).  And  although  you,  says 
he  who  relates  this  in  the  Younger  Edda,  may  not 
have  heard  of  these  things  before,  you  may  easily  con- 
vince yourself  that  I  have  not  been  telling  you  lies. 
You  may  have  observed  that  woman  has  no  beard, 
that  cats  make  no  noise  when  they  run,  and  that  there 
are  no  roots  under  the  mountains;  but  it  is  neverthe- 
less none  the  less  true  what  I  have  related,  although 
there  may  be  some  things  that  you  are  not  able  to 
furnish  proof  of. 

How  was  this  chain  smithied  ?  It  was  perfectly 
smooth  and  soft  like  a  silken  string,  and  yet,  as  we 
shall  presently  see,  very  firm  and  strong.  When  this 
fetter  was  brought  to  the  gods,  they  were  profuse  in 
their  thanks  to  Skirner  for  the  trouble  he  had  given 
himself  and  for  having  done  his  errand  so  well,  and  tak- 
ing the  wolf  with  them  they  proceeded  to  a  lake  called 
Amsvatner,  to  a  holm  (rocky  island)  which  is  called 
Lyngve.  They  showed  the  string  to  the  wolf,  and  ex- 
pressed their  wish  that  he  would  try  to  break  it,  at  the 
same  time  assuring  him  that  it  was  somewhat  stronger 
than  its  thinness  would  warrant  a  person  in  supposing 
it  to  be.     They  took  it  themselves  one  after  another  in 


THE    FENEIS-WOLF.  385 

their  hands,  and,  after  attempting  in  vain  to  break  it, 
said:  You  alone,  Penrer  are  able  to  accomplish  such  a 
feat.  Methiuks,  replied  the  wolf,  that  I  shall  acquire 
no  fame  by  breaking  such  a  slender  thread,  but  if  any 
deceit  or  artifice  has  been  employed  in  making  it,  slen- 
der though  it  seems,  it  shall  never  come  on  my  feet. 

The  gods  assured  him  that  he  would  easily  break  a 
limber  silken  cord,  since  he  had  already  burst  asunder 
iron  fetters  of  the  most  solid  construction;  but  if  you 
should  not  succeed  in  breaking  it,  they  added,  you  will 
show  that  you  are  too  weak  to  cause  the  gods  any  fear, 
and  we  will  not  hesitate  to  set  you  at  liberty  without 
delay.  I  fear  much,  replied  the  wolf,  that  if  you  once 
bind  me  so  fast  that  I  shall  be  unable  to  free  myself 
by  my  own  efforts,  you  v/ill  be  in  no  haste  to  loose  me. 
Loath  am  I  therefore  to  have  this  cord  wound  around 
me,  but  in  order  that  you  may  not  doubt  my  courage, 
I  will  consent,  provided  one  of  you  put  his  hand  into 
my  mouth,  as  a  pledge  that  you  intend  me  no  deceit. 
The  gods  looked  wistfully  at  one  another,  and  thought 
the  conditions  severe,  finding  that  they  had  only  the 
choice  of  two  evils,  and  no  one  would  sacrifice  his 
hand,  until  Tyr,  as  has  formerly  been  related,  stepped 
forward  and  intrepidly  put  his  hand  between  the. mon- 
ster's jaws.  Thereupon  the  gods  having  tied  up  the 
wolf,  he  violently  stretched  himself  as  he  had  formerly 
done,  and  used  all  his  might  to  disengage  himself,  but 
the  more  efforts  he  made  the  tighter  became  the  cord. 
Then  all  the  gods  burst  out  in  laughter  at  the  sight, 
excepting  Tyr,  who  lost  his  hand. 

When  the  gods  saw  that  the  wolf  was  effectually 
bound,  they  took  the  chain  called  Gelgja,  which  was 
attached  to  the  cord,  and  drew  it  through  the  middle 
of  a  large  rock  called  Gjol,  which  they  sank  deep  into 


386  THE   FENKIS-WOLF. 

the  earth ;  afterwards,  to  make  it  still  more  secure,  they 
fastened  the  end  of  the  cord  to  another  massive  stone 
called  Thvite,  which  they  sank  still  deeper.  The  wolf 
made  in  vain  the  most  violent  efforts  to  break  loose, 
and,  opening  his  tremendous  jaws,  and  turning  in  every 
possible  direction,  endeavored  to  bite  the  gods.  They, 
seeing  this,  thrust  a  sword  into  his  mouth  within  his 
outstretched  jaws,  so  that  the  hilt  stood  in  his  lower  jaw 
and  the  point  in  the  roof  of  the  mouth ;  and  this  is 
called  his  palate-spar  (gomsparri).  He  howls  horribly, 
and  the  foam  flows  continually  from  his  mouth  in  such 
abundance  that  it  forms  the  river  called  Von ;  from 
which  the  wolf  is  also  sometimes  called  Vonargander. 
There  he  will  remain  until  Ragnarok,  the  Twilight  of 
the  gods.  But  why  did  not  the  gods  slay  the  wolf,  when 
they  have  so  much  evil  to  fear  from  him  ?  Because 
they  had  so  much  respect  for  the  sanctity  of  their 
peace-steads  that  they  would  not  stain  them  with  the 
blood  of  the  wolf,  although  prophecies  foretold  to  them 
that  he  must  one  day  become  the  bane  of  Odin. 

The  Fenris-wolf  is  the  earthly  fire  chained  by  man, 
exceedingly  ferocious  when  let  loose,  as  has  been  ter- 
ribly illustrated  by  our  recent  fires  in  Chicago  and  her 
sister  city  Boston ;  as  a  devouring  wolf  it  attacks  and 
licks  up  the  dwellings  of  men,  as  it  is  said  in  the  lay 
of  Haakon : 

Fearfully  fares 

The  Fcnris-wolf 

Over  the  fields  of  men 

When  he  is  loosed. 

Once  it  shall,  with  its  upper  jaw  reaching  to  the 
heavens  and  with  the  lower  jaw  on  the  earth,  advance 
with  terror  and  destruction,  and  destroy  the  fire  and 
flame  of  heaven,  Odin  (the  sun).    At  present  it  is  fet- 


THE    MIDGARD-SEKPENT  —  HEL.  387 

tered  on  the  island,  where  a  grave  is  dng  and  a  furnace 
is  built  of  stone,  with  the  draft  (mouth)  partially  barred, 
so  that  the  fire  is  surrounded  by  things  which  prevent 
its  spreading.  It  is  managed  and  controlled  by  men 
for  their  advantage,  and  it  is  so  useful  that  no  one  would 
think  of  entirely  destroying  it  (killing  it). 

SECTION    III.      JORMUNDGANDER,    OR  THE    MIDGARD- 
SERPENT. 

The  Midgard-  or  world-sei-pent  we  have  already  be- 
come tolerably  well  acquainted  with,  and  recognize  in 
him  the  wild  tumultuous  sea.  Tlior  contended  with 
him ;  he  got  him  on  his  hook,  l^ut  did  not  succeed  in 
killing  him.  We  also  remember  how  Thor  tried  to  lift 
him  in  the  form  of  a  cat.  The  North  abounds  in 
stories  about  the  sea-serpent,  which  are  nothing  but 
variations  of  the  original  myth  of  the  Eddas.  Odin 
cast  him  into  the  sea,  where  he  shall  remain  until  he 
is  conquered  by  Thor  in  Eagnarok. 

SECTION    IV.      HEL. 

The  goddess,  or  giantess  (it  is  difficult  to  decide  what 
to  call  her),  Hel,  is  painted  with  vivid  colors.  She  rules 
over  nine  worlds  in  Niflheim,  where  she  dwells  under 
one  of  the  roots  of  Ygdrasil.  Her  home  is  called  Hel- 
heim.  The  way  thither,  Hel-way,  is  long.  Hermod  trav- 
eled it  in  nine  days  and  nine  nights.  Its  course  is 
always  downward  and  northward.  Her  dwelling  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  fence  or  inclosure  with  one  or  more  large 
gates.  Gloomy  rivers  flow  through  her  world.  One  of 
these  streams  is  called  Slid,  which  rises  in  the  east  and 
flows  westward  through  valleys  of  venom,  and  is  full  of 
mud  and  swords.  A  dog  stands  outside  of  a  cave  (Gnipa- 
helhr).      With  blood-stained  breast    and  loud   howling 


388  HEL. 

this  dog  came  from  Hel  to  meet  Odin,  when  the  latter 
rode  down  to  wake  the  vala,  who  lay  buried  in  her 
grave-mound  east  of  the  Hel-gate,  and  to  inquire  about 
the  fate  of  Balder.     Horrible  is  the  coming  of  Hel,  for 

'^she  binds  the  dying  man  with  strong  chains  that  cannot 
be  broken.     Anguish  gnaws  his  heart,  and  every  evening 

^Hel's  maids  come  and  invite  him.  These  maids  are  also 
represented  as  dead  women,  who  come  in  the  night  and 
invite  him  who  is  dying  to  their  benches.  And  to  the 
vision  of  the  dying  man  opens  a  horrible,  gloomy  world 
of  fog;  he  sees  the  sun,  the  genuine  star  of  day,  sink 
and  disappear,  while  he,  on  the  other  hand,  hears  the 
gate  of  Hel  harshly  grate  on  its  hinges,  opening  to 
receive  him.  Hel  receives  all  that  die  of  sickness  or  old 
age.  But  it  also  seems  that  others,  both  good  and  evil, 
come  there ;  for  Balder  we  know  came  to  Hel,  after  he 
had  been  slain  by  Hoder.  And  Sigurd,  who  we  remem- 
ber slew  Fafner,  was  afterwards  assassinated  by  Gunnar 
and  went  to  Hel;  and  thither  went  also  Brynhild,  in 
her  beautiful  car,  after  she  had  been  burned  on  her 
funeral  pile.  Hel's  company  is  large,  but  she  has  dwell- 
ings enough  for  all ;  for  her  regions  extend  widely,  and 
her  palaces  are  terribly  high  and  have  large  gates.  Of 
course  it  is  all  shadows,  but  it  has  the  appearance  of 
reality. 

For  Balder, 

The  decorated  seats 
Were  strewn  with  rings; 
The  lordly  couch 
Was  radiant  with  gold, 
And  the  pure  mead 
Was  brewed  for  him. 

But  there  seems  to  have  been  a  place  set  aside  far 
down  in  the  deepest  abyss  of  Hel  for  the  wicked ;  for 
it  is   said  that  the   evil  went  to   Hel,  and  thence    to 


HEL.  389 

Niflhel,  that  is,  down  into  the  ninth  world.  And  it  is 
here,  in  this  most  infernal  pit,  that  the  palace  is  named 
Anguish;  the  table,  Famine;  the  waiters,  Slowness  and 
Delay;  the  threshold,  Precipice,  and  the  bed,  Care.  It 
is  here  Hel  is  so  livid  and  ghastly  pale  that  her  very 
looks  inspire  horror. 

Hel's  horse  has  three  feet.  Hel-shoes  were  tied  on  to 
the  feet  of  the  dead,  even  though  they  went  to  Valhal, 

Our  English  word  hell  is  connected  with  the  goddess 
Hel,*  and  to  kill  is  in  Norse  at  slaa  iliel  (i-Hel).  The 
faith  in  this  goddess  is  not  yet  perfectly  eradicated  from 
the  minds  of  the  people.  Her  dog  is  yet  heard  barking 
outside  of  houses  as  a  warning  that  death  is  near.  She 
wanders  about  from  place  to  place  as  a  messenger  of 
death.  In  the  story  of  Olaf  Geirstada-alf  it  is  a  large 
ox,  that  goes  from  farm  to  ftirm,  and  at  his  breath 
people  sink  down  dead.  In  the  popular  mind  in  Norway 
this  messenger  of  death  is  sometimes  thought  to  be  a 
three-footed  goat,  and  at  other  times  a  white  three-footed 
horse.  To  see  it  is  a  sure  sign  of  death.  When  a  person 
has  recovered  from  a  dangerous  illness,  it  is  said  that 
he  has  given  Death  a  bushel  of  oats,  for  her  wants  must 
be  supplied,  and  Hel  wandering  about  in  the  guise  of  a 
goat,  ox  or  horse,  may  accept  oats  as  a  compromise. 

It  may  also  be  noticed  here,  that  the  so-called  Black 
Plague,  or  Black  Death,  that  ravaged  Norway  as  well  as 
many  other  European  countries  about  the  middle  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  assumed  in  the  minds  of  the  Norse- 
men the  form  of  an  old  hag  (Thok,  Hel,  Loke),  going 
through  the  realm  from  parish  to  parish  with  a  rake 
and  a  broom.  In  some  parishes  she  used  the  rake,  and 
there  a  few  were  spared ;  in  other  parishes  she  used  the 

*  They  are  both  derived  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  helan  or  helian,  to  cover^ 
to  conceal  ;   compare  the  English  to  kill. 


390  THE   NORSEMEN'S   IDEA    OF    DEATH. 

broom,   and   there  all  perished,   aud   the  parishes  were 
swept  clean. 

SECTION   V.      THE   NORSEMEN'S   IDEA    OF    DEATH.* 

The  Norse  mythology  shows  that  our  ancestors  had 
a  deeply-rooted  belief  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 
They  believed  in  a  state  of  retribution  beyond  the  grave. 
The  dissolution  of  the  body  was  typified  by  Balder's 
death,  and  like  the  latter  it  was  a  result  of  Loke's 
malignity,  just  as  the  devil  brought  death  upon  Adam 
and  Eve,  and  through  them  upon  all  mankind. 

But  while  we  find  the  belief  in  the  imperishableness 
of  the  soul  firmly  established,  the  ideas  regarding  the 
state  of  existence  after  death  were  somewhat  unsettled. 
We  are  soon  to  present  the  Eddaic  doctrines  of  future 
life,  but  in  connection  with  Hel  it  seems  proper  to  give 
some  further  explanation  of  the  ideas  that  our  fore- 
fathers entertained  of  death.  Hel's  gate  is  open,  or 
ajar,  said  the  old  Goths,  when  the  shades  of  death  went 
out  through  the  darkness  of  night  and  terrified  all; 
but  it  is  also  open  to  receive  the  child  with  rosy  cheeks 
as  well  as  the  man  with  hoary  locks  and  trembling  gait. 

The  future  state  was  regarded  as  a  continuation  of 
our  earthly  existence.  This  is  proved  by  the  custom  so 
prevalent  among  the  Norsemen  of  supplying  the  dead 
with  the  best  part  of  their  property  and  the  first  necessi- 
ties of  life.  A  coin  was  put  under  the  dead  man's  tongue, 
that  he  might  be  able  to  defray  his  first  expenses  with 
it  on  his  way  to  his  final  al:)ode.  Of  course  the  dead 
went  either  to  Odin  or  to  Hel,  but  the  relation  between 
Valhal    and    Helheim    presented    difficulties    which   the 

*  For  a  more  complete  discussion  of  this  subject  the  reader  is  referred 
to  Keyser's  Religion  of  the  Northmen  translated  by  Barclay  Pennock.  New 
York,  1854. 


THE   JSTOESEMEN'S    IDEA    OF   DEATH.  391 

Norsemen  strove  in  various  ways  to  solve.  It  was  said 
that  they  who  are  slain  in  battle  go  to  Odin  in  Valhal, 
while  those  who  die  of  sickness  or  old  age  go  to  Hel 
in  Helheim.  But  according  to  this  it  would  be  the  kind 
of  death  alone  which  decided  the  soul's  future  state; 
only  those  who  fell  by  weapons  would  ascend  to  the 
glad  abodes  of  heaven,  while  all  who  die  of  sickness 
would  have  to  wander  away  to  the  dark  world  of  the 
abyss,  and  there  were  people  in  whose  eyes  nothing 
except  warlike  deeds  was  praiseworthy.  But  the  Odinic 
mythology,  taken  as  a  whole,  presents  a  different  view, 
although  it  must  be  admitted,  as  has  before  repeatedly 
been  stated,  that  bravery  was  a  cardinal  virtue  among 
our  Norse  ancestors. 

We  remember,  from  a  previous  chapter  in  this  book, 
that  the  spirit  or  soul  of  man  was  a  gift  of  Odin,  while 
the  body,  blood  and  external  beauty  were  a  gift  of 
Loder,  who  afterwards  separated  from  the  trinity  of 
Odin,  Hffiner  and  Loder  and  became  the  mischievous 
Loke.  Thus  the  soul  belonged  to  the  spirit-world,  or 
Heaven,  and  the  body  to  the  material  world,  to  the  Deep. 
The  two,  soul  and  body,  were  joined  together  in  this 
earthly  life,  but  at  its  close  they  were  separated,  and  each 
returned  to  its  original  source.  The  soul,  with  its  more 
refined  bodily  form  in  which  it  was  thought  to  be  en- 
veloped, went  to  the  home  of  the  gods,  while  the  body, 
with  the  grosser  material  life,  which  was  conceived  to 
be  inseparable  from  it,  went  to  the  abodes  of  Hel  to  be- 
come the  prey  of  Loke's  daughter.  Thus  man's  being 
was  divided  between  Odin  and  Hel.  Odin,  whose  chief 
characteristic  was  god  of  war,  seems  to  have  claimed  his 
sliare  chiefly  from  those  who  fell  in  battle ;  and  this 
probably  may  suggest  to  us  some  reason  why  Balder 
went  to   Hel.      Balder  is  not   a  fighting  god,  he  only 


392  THE  Norsemen's  idea  of  death, 

shines,  conferring  numberless  blessings  on  mankind, 
and  death  finally  steals  upon  him.  Odin  seems  not  to 
have  much  need  of  his  like.  Thus  death  b)'  arms  came 
to  be  considered  a  happy  lot,  by  the  zealous  followers 
of  the  asa-faith,  for  it  was  a  proof  of  Odin's  favor  smil- 
ilig  upon  them.  He  who  fell  by  arms  was  called  by 
Odin  to  himself,  before  Hel  laid  claim  to  her  share  of 
his  being;  he  was  Odin's  chosen  son,  who  with  longing 
was  awaited  in  Valhal,  that  he,  in  the  ranks  of  the 
einherjes,  might  assist  and  sustain  the  gods  in  their  last 
battle,  in  Eagnarok.  In  accordance  with  this  theory 
we  find  in  the  ancient  song  of  praise  to  the  fallen  king 
Erik  Blood-ax,  that  Sigmund  asks  Odin  this  questions 

Why  snatch  him  then,  father, 
From  fortune  and  glory? 
Why  not  leave  him  rather 
To  fill  up  his  story 
On  victory's  road  1 

ODIN: 

Because  no  man  knows 
When  gray  wolf*  so  gory 
His  grisly  maw  shows 
In  Asgard's  abode; 
Therefore  Odin  calls 
And  Erik  fain  falls 
To  follow  his  liege  lord 
And  fight  for  his  god. 

By  this  Odin  means  to  say,  we  do  not  know  when 
the  Fenris-wolf  may  come,  and  therefore  we  may  need 
Erik's  assistance.  In  the  same  sense  the  valkyrie  is 
made  by  Eyvind  Skaldespiller,  in  Hakonarmal,  to  say: 

Now  ai'e  strengthened  the  host  of  the  gods, 

Since  they  have  Haakon 

And  his  valiant  army 

Home  to  themselves  brought. 

*  The  Fenris-wolf. 


THE  Norsemen's  idea  of  death.  393 

But  because  the  dead  who  were  slain  by  arms  were 
thought  to  be  called  to  Valhal,  to  unite  themselves  with/ 
the  hosts  of  the  eiuherjes,  it  was  not  supposed  that  Hell 
did  not  get  her  share  in  their  being ;  nor  was  it  supposedA 
on  the  other  hand,  that  the  soul  of  every  one  who  died/ 
a  natural  death  was  shut  out  from  heaven  and  forced  toj 
follow  the  body  down  into  the  abodes  of  Hel.  That  it' 
was  virtue,  on  the  whole,  and  not  bravery  alone,  which 
was  to  be  rewarded  in  another  life,  and  that  it  was 
wickedness  and  vice  that  were  to  be  punished,  is  distinctly 
shown  in  the  first  poem  of  the  Elder  Edda,  where  it 
says  of  Gimle: 

The  virtuous  there 

Shall  always  dwell,/ 

And  evermore 

Delights  enjoy ;         !- 

while  perjurers,  murderers  and  adulterers  shall  wade/ 
through  thick  venom-streams  in  Naastrand.  But  it( 
must  be  remembered  that  Gimle  and  Naastrand  had 
reference  to  the  state  of  things  after  Eagnarok,  the  Twi- 
light of  the  gods ;  while  Valhal  and  Hel  have  reference 
to  the  state  of  things  between  death  and  Eagnarok, —  a 
time  of  existence  corresponding  somewhat  to  what  is 
called  purgatory  by  the  Catholic  church.  It  may  how- 
ever be  fairly  assumed  that  the  ideas  which  our  ancestors 
had  of  reward  and  punishment  concerning  the  preceding 
middle  state  (purgatory)  of  the  dead,  were  similar  to  those 
which  they  had  concerning  the  state  after  Eagnarok. 

It  was  certainly  believed  that  the  soul  of  the  virtuous, 
even  though  death  by  arms  had  not  released  it  from  the 
body  and  raised  it  up  to  the  rank  of  the  real  einherjes,  still 
found  an  abode  in  heaven,  either  in  Valhal  or  in  Vingolf 
or  in  Folkvang.  The  skald,  Thjodolf  of  Hvin,  makes 
King  Vanlande  go  to  Odin,  although  Hel  tortured  him ; 


394  THE  n"orsemen's  idea  of  death. 

and  Egil  Skallagrimson,  lamenting  the  death  of  his 
drowned  son,  knows  that  the  son  has  come  to  the  home 
of  the  gods  (Gudheimr),  while  of  himself  he  says  that 
he  fearlessly  awaits  the  coming  of  Hel. 

Of  Nanna  we  read  that  she  went  with  her  husband, 

Balder,  to  Hel;  but  the  souls  of  noble  women  were  be- 

/lieved  to  go  to  heaven  after  death.      There  they  found  an 

abode  with  Freyja,  and  the  spirits  of  maidens  with  Gef- 

jun.     When  it  is  said  that  Freyja  shares  the  slain  with 

'    Odin,  it  may  be  supposed  to  mean  that  the  slain,  who  in 

^  life  had  loved  wives,  Avere  united  to  them  again  with 
Freyja. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  was  as  certainly  believed  that 
blasphemy  and  baseness  might  shut  out  even  the  bravest 
from  Vallial.  In  the  Saga  of  Burnt  Njal,  Hakon  Jarl 
says  of  the  bold  but  wicked  Hrap,  who  had  seduced  his 
benefactor's  daughter  and  burned  a  temple:  The  man 
who  did  this  shall  be  banished  from  Valhal  and  never 
come  thither. 

The  reader  may  think  that  the  statements  here  pre- 

s^ented  show  some  inconsistency  in  the  theory  and  plan 

,  of  salvation   according  to   the  doctrines  of  the  Norse 

y  mythology.  We  admit  that  there  seems  to  be  some  incon- 
sistency, but  let  us  ask,  is  not  this  charge  also  frequently 
made  against  the  Scriptures  ?  Is  not  the  church,  on  this 
very  question  of  the  plan  of  salvation,  divided  into  two 
great  parties,  the  one  insisting  on  faith  and  the  other  on 
works  ?  The  one  party  quoting  and  requoting  Paul,  in 
his  epistle  to  the  Eomans  (iii,  28),  where  he  says,  that 
man  is  justified  by  faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law ; 
and  the  other  appealing  to  Peter's  epistle  (i,  24),  where 
he  says,  that  by  works  a  man  is  justified,  and  not  by  faith 
only.  And  as  the  most  eminent  divines  have  found  har- 
mony in  the  principles  of  the  Mosaic-Christian  religion 


THE  Norsemen's  idea  of  death.  395 

as  laid  down  in  the  Scriptures,  so  we  venture  to  assert 
that  a  profound  study  of  the  Odinic  mythology  will 
enable  the  student  to  elicit  a  sublime  harmony  in  its 
doctrines  and  principles. 

The  strict  construction  of  the  asa-doctrine  appears 
to  be  this,  that  although  man  in  the  intermediate  state, 
between  death  and  Eagnarok,  was  divided  between  Odin 
and  Hel,  yet  each  one's  share  of  his  being,  after  death, 
was  greater  or  less  according  to  the  life  he  had  lived. 
The  spirit  of  the  virtuous  and  the  brave  had  the  power 
to  bear  up  to  heaven  with  it  after  death  the  better  part 
of  its  corporeal  being,  and  Hel  obtained  only  the  dust. 
But  he  whose  spirit,  by  wickedness  and  base,  sensual  lust 
was  drawn  away  from  heaven,  became  in  all  his  being 
the  prey  of  Hel.  His  soul  was  not  strong  enough  to 
mount  freely  up  to  the  celestial  abodes  of  the  gods,  but 
was  drawn  down  into  the  abyss  by  the  dust  with  which 
it  had  ever  been  clogged.  Perhaps  the  representation  of 
Hel  as  being,  half  white  and  half  pale-blue  had  its  origin 
in  this  thought,  that  to  the  good,  death  appeared  as  a 
bright  (white)  goddess  of  deliverance,  but  to  the  wicked, 
as  a  dark  and  punishing  deity. 

When  the  drowned  came  to  the  halls  of  Ran,  the 
sea-goddess  took  the  part  of  Hel;  that  is,  Ran  claimed 
the  body  as  her  part,  while  the  spirit  ascended  to  heaven. 

Bondsmen  came  to  Thor  after  death.  This  seems  to 
express  the  idea,  that  their  spirits  had  not  the  power  to 
mount  up  with  free-born  heroes  to  the  higher  celestial 
abodes,  but  were  obliged  to  linger  midway,  as  it  were, 
among  the  low  floating  clouds  under  the  stern  dominion 
of  Thor;  —  a  thought  painful  to  the  feelings  of  human- 
ity, but  nevertheless  not  inconsistent  with  the  views  of 
our  ancestors  in  ancient  times.  But  when  the  bonds- 
men, as   was  the   custom  in   the   most  ancient   Gothic 


396  THE   NORSEMEN'S   IDEA    OF    DEATH. 

times,  followed  their  master  on  the  funeral  pile,  the 
motive  must  have  been  that  they  would  continue  to 
serve  him  in  the  future  life,  or  their  throwing  them- 
selves on  their  master's  funeral  pile  could  have  no 
meaning  whatever. 

The  old  Norsemen  had  many  beautiful  ideas  in  con- 
nection with  death.  Thus  in  the  lay  of  Atle  it  is  said 
iA  him  wlio  dies  that  he  goes  to  the  other  light.  That 
the  dead  in  the  mounds  were  in  a  state  of  conscious- 
ness is  illustrated  by  the  following  passages  from  Frid- 
thiof's  Saga: 

Now,  children,  lay  us  in  two  lofty  graves 
Down  by  the  sea-shore,  near  the  deep-blue  waves : 
Their  sounds  shall  to  our  souls  be  music  sweet. 
Singing  our  dirge  as  on  the  strand  they  beat. 

AVhen  round  the  hills  the  pale  moonlight  is  thrown 
And  midnight  dews  fall  on  the  Bauta-stone, 
We  '11  sit,  O  Thorsteu,  in  our  rounded  graves 
And  speak  together  o'er  the  gentle  waves. 

Finally,  it  is  a  beautiful  thought  that  there  was  a 
sympathetic  union  between  the  dead  and  the  living. 
As  the  Persians  believed  that  the  rivers  of  the  lower 
world  grew  by  the  tears  of  the  living  and  interfered 
with  the  happiness  of  the  departed,  so  the  Norse  peas- 
ant still  believes  that  when  a  daughter  weeps  for  the 
death  of  her  father  she  must  take  care  that  no  tear 
falls  on  his  corpse,  for  thereby  the  peace  of  the  deceased 
would  be  disturbed.  We  find  this  same  thought  ex- 
pressed in  the  Elder  Edda,  where  Helge  says  to  Sigrun : 

Thou  alone  causest,  Sigrun 
From  Sevafjeld, 
That  Helge  is  bathed 
In  sorrow's  dew. 


loke's  punishment.  397. 

Thou  weepest,  gold-adorned, 
Sunbright  woman ! 
Cruel  tears, 

Before  thou  goest  to  sleep. 
Every  bloody  tear 
Fell  on  the  king's  breast. 
Ice-cold  and  swelling 
With  sorrow. 

Thus  also  in  the  old  song  of  Aage  and  Else: 

Whenever  thou  grievest, 
My  coffin  is  within 
As  livid  blood: 
Whenever  thou  rejoicest. 
My  coffin  is  within 
Filled  with  fragrant  roses. 


SECTION   VI.     LOKE  S    PUNISHMENT. 

Loke  and  Balder  struggled  for  the  government  of  the 
world.  Loke  gradually  grew  victorious  in  his  terrible 
children,  while  Balder,  defenseless  and  innocent,  had 
nothing  but  his  shining  purity  with  which  to  oppose 
Loke's  baseness.  Loke's  wickedness  reached  its  culmi- 
nating point  in  the  death  of  Balder  and  in  the  hag 
Thok,  who  with  arid  tears  would  wail  Balder  from  Hel. 

According  to  the  Younger  Edda  it  would  seem  that 
Loke  was  punished  immediately  after  the  death  of  Balder, 
but  according  to  the  Elder  Edda  the  banquet  of  ^ger 
seems  to  have  taken  place  after  the  death  of  Balder,  and 
there  Loke  was  present  to  pour  out  in  words  his  enmity 
to  the  defeated  gods.  When  ^Eger  had  received  the  large 
kettle,  thatThor  had  brought  him  from  the  giant  Hymer, 
he  brewed  ale  for  the  gods  and  invited  them  to  a  banquet. 
The  gods  and  elves  were  gathered  there,  but  Thor  was 
not  present.  ./Eger's  servants  were  praised  for  their  atten- 
tiveness  and  agility.     This  Loke  could  not  bear  to  hear, 


398  lore's  punishment. 

and  he  killed  one  of  them  by  name  Funfeng.  The 
gods  drove  him  into  the  woods,  but  when  they  had 
seated  themselves  at  the  table  and  had  begun  to  drink 
he  came  back  again,  and  asked  Elder,  the  other  servant 
of  ^ger,  what  the  gods  talked  about  at  the  banquet. 
They  talk  about  their  weapons  and  about  their  bravery, 
replied  Elder,  but  neither  the  gods  nor  the  elves  speak 
well  of  you.  Then,  said  Loke,  I  must  go  into  ^ger's 
hall,  to  look  at  the  banquet:  scolding  and  evil  words- 
bring  I  to  the  sons  of  the  gods  and  mix  evil  in  their  ale. 
Then  Loke  went  into  the  hall ;  but  when  they  who  were 
there  saw  who  had  entered,  they  were  all  silent.  Then 
said  Loke  to  the  gods: 

Thirsty  I  hither 

To  the  hall  came  — 

Long  way  I  journeyed  — 

The  gods  to  ask 

Whether  one  would  grant  me 

A  drink  of  the  precious  mead. 

Why  are  ye  silent,  gods! 

And  sit  so  stubborn? 

Have  ye  lost  your  tongues? 

Give  me  a  seat 

And  place  at  the  banquet, 

Or  turn  me  away. 

BRAGE : 

The  gods  will  never 
Give  you  a  seat 
And  place  at  the  banquet; 
Well  know  the  gods 
To  whom  they  will  give 
Pleasure  at  the  banquet. 

Then  Loke  begins  to  abuse  the  gods,  and  remmds 
Odin  how  they  once  mixed  blood  together, —  and  Vidar 
must  yield   him  his  seat.     But  before   Loke  drank  he 


LOKE'S    PUNISHMENT.  399 

greeted  all  the  gods  and  goddesses  excepting  Brage,  who 
occupied  the  innermost  bench.  And  now  Loke  pours 
out  his  abuse  upon  all  the  gods  and  goddesses,  much  of 
which  has  been  given  heretofore.  His  last  quarrel  is 
with  Sif,  the  wife  of  Thor.  But  then  Beyla  hears  the 
mountains  quake  and  tremble.  It  is  Thor  that  is  coming ; 
and  when  he  enters  the  hall  he  threatens  to  crush  every 
bone  in  Loke's  body;  and  to  him  Loke  finally  yields,  for 
he  knows  that  Thor  carries  out  his  threats.  On  going 
out  he  heaps  curses  upon  vEger,  and  hopes  that  he 
(^ger)  may  never  more  make  banquets  for  the  gods, 
but  that  flames  may  play  upon  his  realm  and  burn  him 
too. 

Loke  now  fled  and  hid  himself  in  the  mountains. 
There  he  built  him  a  dwelling  with  four  doors,  so  that 
he  could  see  everything  that  passed  around  him.  Often 
in  the  daytime  he  assumed  the  likeness  of  a  salmon  and 
concealed  himself  under  the  waters  of  a  cascade  called 
Fraananger  Force,  where  he  employed  himself  in  divin- 
ing and  circumventing  whatever  stratagems  the  gods 
might  have  recourse  to  in  order  to  catch  him.  One  day 
as  he  sat  in  his  dwelling  he  took  flax  and  yarn  and 
worked  them  into  meshes,  in  the  manner  that  nets  have 
since  been  made  by  fishermen.  Odin  had  however,  sitting 
in  Hlidskjalf,  discovered  Loke's  retreat;  and  the  latter, 
becoming  aware  that  the  gods  were  approaching,  threw 
his  net  into  the  fire  and  ran  to  conceal  himself  in  the 
river.  When  the  gods  entered  Loke's  house,  Kvaser,  who 
was  the  most  distinguished  among  them  all  for  his  quick- 
ness and  penetration,  traced  out  in  the  hot  embers  the 
vestiges  of  the  net  which  had  been  burnt,  and  told  Odin 
that  it  must  be  an  invention  to  catch  fish.  Whereupon 
they  set  to  work  and  wove  a  net  after  the  model  they  saw 
imprinted  in  the  ashes.     This  net,  when  finished,  they 


400  loke's  punishment. 

threw  into  the  river  in  which  Loke  had  hid  himself. 
Thor  held  one  end  of  the  net  and  all  the  other  gods  laid 
hold  of  the  other  end,  thus  jointly  drawing  it  along  the 
stream.  Notwithstanding  all  their  precautious  the  net 
passed  over  Loke,  who  had  crept  between  two  stones, 
and  the  gods  only  perceived  that  some  living  thing  had 
touched  the  meshes.  They  therefore  cast  their  net  a 
second  time,  hanging  so  great  a  weight  to  it  that  it  every- 
where raked  the  bed  of  the  river.  But  Loke,  perceiving 
that  he  had  but  a  short  distance  to  the  sea,  swam  onward 
and  leapt  over  the  net  into  the  force.  The  gods  instantly 
followed  him  and  divided  themselves  into  two  bands. 
Thor,  wading  along  in  mid-stream,  followed  the  net, 
whilst  the  others  dragged  it  along  toward  the  sea.  Loke 
then  perceived  that  he  had  only  two  chances  of  escape, — 
either  to  swim  out  to  the  sea,  or  to  leap  again  over  the 
net.  He  chose  the  latter,  but  as  he  took  a  tremendous 
leap  Thor  caught  him  in  his  hand.  Being  however 
extremely  slippery,  he  would  have  escaped  had  not  Thor 
held  him  fast  by  the  tail ;  and  this  is  the  reason  why 
salmon  have  had  their  tails  ever  since  so  fine  and  slim. 
The  gods  having  thus  captured  Loke,  they  dragged 
him  without  commiseration  into  a  cavern,  wherein  they 
placed  three  sharp-pointed  rocks,  boring  a  hole  through 
each  of  them.  Having  also  seized  Loke's  children.  Vale 
and  Nare,  or  Narfe,  they  changed  the  former  into  a  wolf, 
and  in  this  likeness  he  tore  his  brother  to  pieces  and 
devoured  him.  The  gods  then  made  cords  of  his  intes- 
tines, with  which  they  bound  Loke  on  the  points  of  the 
/  rocks,  one  cord  passing  under  his  shoulders,  another 
\  under  his  loins,  and  a  third  under  his  hams,  and  after- 
Wards  transformed  these  cords  to  fetters  of  iron.  Then 
the  giantess  Skade  took  a  serpent  and  suspended  it  over 
Ihim  in  such  a  manner  that  the  venom  should  fall  into 


loke's  punishment.  401 

his  face,  drop  by  drop.  But  Sigyn,  Loke's  wife,  stands 
by  him  and  receives  the  drops,  as  they  fall,  in  a  cup, 
which  she  empties  as  often  as  it  is  filled.  But  while  she 
is  doing  this,  venom  falls  upon  Loke,  which  makes  him 
shriek  with  horror  and  twist  his  body  about  so  violently 
that  the  whole  earth  shakes ;  and  this  produces  what  men 
call  earthquakes.  There  will  Loke  lie  until  liagnarok. 
Here  we  have  Loke  in  the  form  of  a  salmon.  Slip- 
pery as  a  salmon,  is  as  common  an  adage  in  Norseland 
as  our  American  :  slippery  as  an  eel.  Loke  himself  makes 
the  net  by  which  he  is  caught  and  ruined.  This  is  very  / 
proper ;  sin  and  crime  always  bring  about  their  own  ^ 
ruin.  The  chaining  of  Loke  is  one  of  the  grandest 
myths  in  the  whole  mythology.  That  Loke  represents 
fire  in  its  various  forms,  becomes  clearer  with  every 
new  fact,  every  new  event  in  his  life.  Skade  is  the 
cold  mountain  stream,  that  pours  its  venom  upon  Loke. 
Sigyn  takes  much  of  it  away,  but  some  of  it  will,  in 
sjiite  of  her,  come  in  contact  with  the  subterranean  fire, 
and  the  earth  quakes  and  the  geysers  spout  their  scald- 
ing water.  But  who  cannot  see  human  life  represented 
in  this  grand  picture?  All  great  convulsions  in  the 
history  of  man  are  brought  about  in  the  same  manner,  i 
and  beside  the  great  forces  of  revolution  stand  the  pious, 
gentle  and  womanly  minds  who  with  the  cup  of  religion 
or  with  the  eloquence  of  the  pure  spirit  prevent  the 
most  violent  outbreaks  of  storm  among  the  nations,  and 
pour  their  quieting  oils  upon  the  disturbed  waters.  And 
who  does  not  remember  cases  at  the  shrine  of  the  fam- 
ily, where  the  inevitable  consequences  of  man's  folly 
and  crime  produce  convulsive  crises,  misfortunes  and 
misery,  which  the  wife  shares,  prevents  and  moderates 
with  her  soft  hand,  gentle  tears,  and  soothing  words, — 
always  cheerful    and   never  growing  weary.     It  is  wo- 


402  lore's  punishment. 

man's  divine  work  in  life,  in  a  qniet  manner  to  bring 
consolation  and  comfort,  and  never  to  despair. 

As  the  earth  and  sea  in  their  various  manifestations 
are  represented  by  various  divinities,  so  the  fire  also  pre- 
sents various  forms.  It  is  celestial,  united  with  Odin;  it 
is  earthly  in  the  Fenris-wolf,  and  it  is  subterranean  in 
the  chained  Loke.  That  Loke  symbolizes  fire,  is  also 
illustrated  by  the  fact  that  the  common  people  in  Nor- 
way, when  they  hear  the  fire  crackling,  say  that  Loke 
is  whipping  his  children.  In  a  wider  sense  Loke  is  in 
one  word  the  evil  one,  the  devil.  The  common  people 
also  know  Loke  as  a  divinity  of  the  atmosphere.  When 
the  sun  draws  water,  they  say  that  Loke  is  drinking 
water.  When  vapors  arise  from  the  earth  and  float  about 
in  the  atmosphere,  this  phenomenon  is  also  ascribed  to 
Loke.  When  he  sows  his  oats  among  the  grain,  he  pro- 
duces a  peculiar  aerial  phenomenon,  of  which  the  novel- 
ist Blicher  speaks  in  one  of  his  romances,  saying  that 
this  trembling  motion  of  the  air,  which  the  people  call 
Loke's  oats,  confuses  and  blinds  the  eyes.  Nay,  truly  it 
confuses  and  blinds,  for  we  need  not  take  this  only  in 
a  literal  sense.  It  is  that  motion  which  shocks  the 
nerves  of  man  when  the  soul  conceives  evil  thoughts; 
it  is  that  nervous  concussion  which  shocks  the  whole 
system  of  the  criminal  when  he  goes  to  commit  his  foul 
misdeed. 

Having  now  given  a  description  of  Loke, —  having 
painted  with  words  the  character  of  this  wily,  mischiev- 
ous, sly  and  deceitful  divinity, —  we  ask,  with  Petersen, 
where  is  the  painter  who  will  present  him  in  living  colors 
on  canvas?  We  want  a  personal  representation  of  him. 
We  want  his  limbs,  his  body  and  his  head.  Where  is 
the  painter  who  can  give  his  chin  the  proper  form,  his 
mouth  the  right  shape,   paint  his  dimples  with  those 


THE    IRON    POST.  403 

deep  and  fine  wrinkles  when  he  smiles,  and  do  justice  to 
his  nose  and  upper  lip?  Who  will  paint  those  delicate 
elevations  and  depressions  of  his  cheeks,  that  terrible 
brilliancy  of  his  eyes,  his  subtle  and  crafty  forehead,  and 
his  hair  at  once  stiff  and  wavy?  Who  will  paint  this 
immortal  youth  who  yet  evei-ywhere  reveals  his  old  age, 
or  this  old  man  whose  face  mocks  at  everything  like  a 
reckless  youth  ?  Here  is  a  theme  without  a  model,  a 
theme  for  a  master  of  the  art. 

SEGTIOK   VII.      THE    IRON    POST. 

The  following  story  from  the  south  of  Germany 
illustrates  how  stories  can  be  remodeled  and  changed  as 
to  their  external  adornment  and  still  preserve  their  fun- 
damental feature.  The  reader  will  not  fail  to  discover 
Loke  in  the  following  tradition,  entitled  Der  Stoch  im 
Eisen,  a  story  whicli  in  its  most  original  form  must 
date  back  to  the  time  when  Loke  was  known  in  Germany. 

Opposite  St.  Stephen's  Tower  in  Vienna  there  is 
found,  it  is  said,  one  of  the  old  landmarks  of  this  city, 
the  so-called  Stoch  im  Eisen  (the  iron  post).  It  is  a 
post  that  has  in  the  course  of  time  become  blackened 
and  charred,  and  into  which  nail  after  nail  has  been 
driven  so  close  together  that  there  is  not  room  for  a 
single  one  more,  and  the  post  is  literally  inclosed  in  an 
iron  casing.  This  covering  of  iron  keeps  the  dry  post 
in  an  upright  position,  and  near  the  ground  it  is  fastened 
by  an  iron  ring  with  an  unusually  wonderful  lock.  In 
olden  times  this  post  was  a  landmark,  for  to  it  extended 
the  great  Wienerwald.  In  connection  with  it  the  follow- 
ing tale  is  told  by  H.  Meinert: 

A  young  good-looking  locksmith  apprentice,  by  name  Reinbert, 
had  secretly  won  the  heart  and  become  engaged  to  his  master's 
daughter    Dorothea ;    but    there   was    not  much   hope   that    she 


40'1  THE    IRON    POST. 

would  ever  become  bis  wife.  One  evening  the  two  lovers  agreed 
to  meet  outside  the  city ;  they  forget  themselves  in  their  conver- 
sation, in  their  doubts  and  "their  hopes,  and  hear  not  the  clock 
that  strikes  the  hour  when  the  gate  of  the  city  is  to  be  closed; 
and  the  lover  has  forgotten  to  take  money  along  to  get  it  opened. 
But  what  a  misfortune  if  they  should  be  shut  out,  what  a  disgrace 
to  his  beloved,  if  it  should  become  known  that  she  has  spent  the 
night  outside  the  city,  outside  of  her  father's  house,  in  company 
with  a  man !  Suddenly  there  arises  as  it  were  from  the  ground 
a  pale  man,  with  the  contour  of  his  face  sharply  marked,  with 
wonderful  flashing  eyes,  wearing  a  black  cloak  and  black  hat, 
and  in  the  latter  waves  a  cock-feather.  Reinbert  involuntarily 
shudders  as  he  sees  him,  but  still  he  does  not  forget  his  mis- 
fortune in  being  shut  out  of  the  city ;  he  therefore  explains  his 
distress  to  the  stranger,  and  asks  him  to  lend  him  enough  to  pay 
the  gate-watch.  Like  for  like !  whispers  the  stranger  into  Rein- 
bert's  ear ;  if  I  am  to  help  you  and  your  beloved  out  of  your 
distress,  then  you  must  promise  me  upon  the  salvation  of  your 
soul  never  on  any  Sunday  to  neglect  the  holy  mass.  Reinbert 
hesitates ;  but  it  is  in  fact  a  pious  promise,  and  necessity  knows 
no  laws.  He  promises,  and  the  gate  opens  as  it  were  sponta- 
neously. 

Four  weeks  later,  when  Reinbert  sat  in  his  workshop,  the 
door  opens  and  that  strange  man  enters.  Reinbert  shudders  at 
the  sight  of  him ;  but  when  the  stranger  does  not  even  care  to 
look  at  him,  and  only  asks  for  his  master,  he  regains  his  peace 
of  mind.  When  the  apprentices  had  called  the  master,  the  visitor 
ordered  an  iron  fastening,  with  lock  and  bolt,  and  the  master  is 
willing  to  undertake  the  work.  But  now  began  the  stranger  (cun- 
ning as  Loke)  with  a  wonderful  knowledge  of  details  to  mention 
all  the  different  parts  of  the  lock,  explained  with  great  eloquence 
the  whole  plan  of  it,  and  took  special  pains  to  describe  the  manner 
in  which  the  springs  must  necessarily  be  bent  and  united ;  and  al- 
though both  the  master  and  the  apprentices  had  to  admit  that  such 
a  lock  was  not  without  the  range  of  possibilities, —  nay,  that  it 
would  indeed  be  a  masterpiece, —  still  their  heads  began  to  swim 
when  they  tried  to  think  of  its  wonderful  construction  and  arrange 
the  plan  in  their  minds,  and  they  had  to  admit  that  they  did  not 
trust  themselves  to  do  the  work.  Then  the  stranger's  mouth 
assumed   a   deeply-furrowed,  indescribably    scornful   smile ;    and 


THE   IRON    POST.  405 

he  said  with  contempt:  Call  yourselves  master  and  apprentices, 
when  you  do  not  know  how  to  undertake  a  work  that  the  youngest 
one  among  you  can  do  in  less  than  an  hour !  The  youngest  one 
among  us,  murmured  the  apprentices  ;  do  you  think  that  Reinbert 
would  be  able  to  do  it, —  he  is  the  youngest  one  among  us?  O  yes, 
said  the  stranger,  he  there  can  do  it,  or  his  look  must  deceive  me 
much.  With  these  words  he  called  out  the  astounded  Reinbert, 
explained  to  him  once  more  the  plan  of  the  lock,  and  added :  If 
you  do  not  save  the  honor  of  the  smiths,  the  whole  world  shall 
know  their  disgrace ;  but  if  you  can  get  the  lock  ready  within  two 
hours,  no  master  will  refuse  you  his  daughter,  after  you  have 
saved  his  reputation.  Yes  indeed,  said  the  master,  if  you  can 
perform  such  an  impossibility,  Dorothea  shall  be  yours.  While 
the  stranger  described  the  nature  of  the  lock,  Reinbert  had  sunk 
into  deep  reflections  ;  to  his  soul  the  narrow  workshop  widened 
into  a  large  plain  ;  he  saw  a  beautiful,  happy  future  blooming 
before  him ;  by  strange  and  wonderful  voices  he  heard  himself 
styled  the  master  of  masters  ;  and  his  beloved  he  saw  approaching 
him  with  the  bridal  wreath  entwined  in  her  locks ;  and  just  at  that 
moment  he  heard  his  master's  words :  If  you  can  perform  such  an 
impossibility,  Dorothea  shall  be  yours.  He  immediately  began 
his  work  ;  it  seemed  as  if  he  were  working  witli  a  hundred  arms ; 
each  blow  of  the  hammer  gave  form  to  a  part  of  the  work  ;  by  a 
peculiar  resounding  the  hammer-blows  seemed  to  multiply,  as  if 
more  invisible  hands  hammered  with  him,  while  the  stranger  in 
the  red  glare  of  the  flame  looked  like  a  pillar  of  fire  (Loke).  After 
the  lapse  of  an  hour  the  work  was  finished.  Apprentices  and 
master  looked  at  it  and  examined  it,  shaking  their  heads,  and  with 
mouths  wide  open ;  but  there  was  no  doubt  that  Reinbert  had 
accomplished  a  masterpiece  never  seen  before,  and  the  master 
ascribed  it  to  his  enthusiasm  awakened  by  his  love.  The  stranger 
took  the  lock  and  went  ahead  ;  the  master  with  Reinbert  and  all 
his  apprentices  and  the  members  of  his  family  followed,  and  all 
proceeded  to  the  place  where  the  iron  post  (Stock  im  Eisen)  now 
stands.  Here  the  stranger  placed  an  iron  chain  around  the  post 
and  fastened  it  with  Reinbert's  lock.  When  they  returned,  the 
stranger  had  disappeared,  and  with  him  the  key  to  the  marvelous 
lock. 

"We  omit  a  part  of  the  story,  taking  only  that  part 
which  has  reference  to  Loke. 


406  THE    IRON    POST. 

On  account  of  slander,  Reinbert  had  to  travel  far  and  wide 
before  he  finally  got  his  beloved  Dorothea.  A  few  days  after 
he  had  returned,  the  government  issued  a  proclamation  to  the 
effect  that  whatever  smith  could  make  a  key  that  would  open 
that  lock  should  thereby  get  his  diploma  of  mastership.  Rein- 
bert announced  himself  as  a  candidate,  and  repaired  to  his 
workshop  to  make  the  key.  But  for  the  first  time  liis  work 
did  not  seem  to  succeed.  The  iron  was  stubborn  and  would  not 
assume  the  form  required ;  and  it  seemed  astonishing  to  him, 
when  he  at  last  had  succeeded  in  giving  the  key  the  proper 
form,  and  put  it  into  the  furnace  to  temper  it,  it  was  turned 
and  twisted  when  he  took  it  out  again.  His  imi^atience  grew 
into  wrath.  But  when  he  at  length,  after  many  unsuccessful 
attempts,  bad  got  the  key  ready  and  put  it  into  the  furnace 
and  carefully  scrutinized  to  see  what  it  was  that  thus  always 
ruined  his  work,  he  saw  in  the  midst  of  the  fire  a  claw  seize 
after  the  key,  and  terror-stricken  he  discovered  that  disagreeable 
stranger's  twisted  face  (Loke)  staring  at  liim  out  of  the  burning 
furnace.  He  quickly  snatched  the  key  away,  turned  it,  seized  it 
with  the  tongs  at  the  other  end,  and  put  it  into  the  fire  again; 
and  lo  and  behold !  when  he  took  it  out  the  handle  was  some- 
what twisted,  but  the  head  preserved  its  right  shape.  (We  re- 
member that  it  was  Loke's  fault  that  the  handle  of  Thor's  ham- 
mer became  rather  short.) 

Reinbert  now  announced  to  the  government  that  the  key 
was  ready ;  and  the  day  after  the  government  officials  and  the 
citizens  marched  in  procession  to  the  iron  post,  and  Reinbert's 
key  opened  the  lock.  In  his  enthusiasm  at  his  success  he  threw 
the  key  high  up  in  the  air,  but  to  everybody's  surprise  it  did 
not  come  down  again.  It  was  sought  for  everywhere,  but  could 
nowhere  be  found,  and  Reinbert  had  to  promise  to  make  a  new 
one  some  time.  To  commemorate  the  fact  that  it  had  been  pos- 
sible to  open  the  lock  he  drove  a  nail  into  the  wooden  post,  and 
since  that  time  every  smith  has  done  the  same  when  he  left 
Vienna ;   thus  this  post  was  formed  with  its  numberless  nails. 

Reinbert  became  a  master  and  married  his  beloved.  Up  to 
this  time  he  had  kept  his  promise  and  had  attended  upon  the 
holy  mass  every  Sunday ;  he  began  to  drink  and  gamble,  but  he 
conscientiously  continued  to  keep  his  promise.  Finally  it  hap- 
pens   that    he    once    stayed   a   little   too   long  at   the   gambling- 


THE    IRON    POST.  407 

house,  and  hastens  terrified  in  order  not  to  come  too  late  to 
church.  But  the  door  of  St.  Stephen's  church  is  closed.  Out- 
side sits  an  old  woman  (Loke  assumed  the  guise  of  a  woman* 
after  Balder's  death),  who,  in  answer  to  his  question,  informs 
him  that  mass  is  out.  Filled  with  deadly  anguish  he  rushes 
back  to  his  comrades,  who  laughed  at  him  and  insisted  that,  as 
mass  began  at  half-past  eleven  o'clock,  and  as  it  was  only  three- 
quarters  past  eleven,  the  mass  could  not  yet  be  over.  He  has- 
tens back  again;  the  church-door  is  now  open,  but  at  the  very 
moment  he  enters,  the  priest  leaves  the  altar  —  the  mass  is  over. 
The  old  woman  rises,  seizes  him  by  the  arms,  and  his  soul  de- 
parts from  him. 

Thus  the  myth  develops  into  traditionary  story,  and 
one  story  begets  another;  they  wander  about  from  the 
south  to  the  north  and  from  the  north  to  the  south, 
and  change  with  the  times,  reminding  us  of  the  various 
manifestations  of  hfe;  reminding  us  how  human  things 
circulate  and  develop,  each  inextricably  interwoven  with 
all,  and  always  reminding  us,  too,  that  there  is  a  heaven 
above  the  earth  and  an  existence  beyond  what  is  allotted 
to  us  mortals  on  earth. 

SECTION   VIII.      A    BRIEF    REVIEW. 

We  have  now  completed  the  second  part  of  our 
work,  and  witnessed  the  life  and  exploits  of  the  gods. 
It  remains  now  to  sum  up  briefly  the  main  features  of, 
and  the  principal  lessons  taught  in,  this  portion  of  the 
mythology. 

We  cannot  fail  to  have  observed  that  the  life  of  the 
gods  is,  in  the  first  place,  a  reflection   of  the  workings/ 
of  visible  nature,  and,  in  the  second  place,  a  reflection! 
and   foreshadowing   of  the  life   of  man,  particularly  of\ 
life  in  its  various  manifestations  in   the  history  of  the  | 
Gothic  race.     We  have  also  witnessed  how  wonderfully 
the  interests  and  works   of  the  gods  —  nay,  how  abso- 

*Thok. 


408  A   BRIEF   REVIEW. 

lately  the  gods  themselves  —  are  interlinked  with  each 
other, —  that  centralizing  thought  which,  as  has  been 
said  before,  forms  one  of  the  most  prominent  char- 
acteristics of  Norse  or  Gothic  mythology,  thought  and 
history. 

We  have  seen  how  the  divinities  and  demons,  after 
having  been  created,  enter  upon  various  activities,  con- 
tend with  each  other  and  are  reconciled,  and  how  new 
beings  are  developed  in  this  struggle,  all  destined  to 
fight  on  one  side  or  the  other  in  the  final  conflict. 

The  myth  reflects  nature  and  society,  the  one  inex- 
tricably in  communion  with  the  other;  and  in  the  de- 
velopment of  nature  and  society  we  find  three  relations: 
he  relation  of  the  asas  to  the  giants,  the  relation  of  the 
sas  to  the  vans,  and  the  relation  of  Loke  to  Odin.  The 
sas  and  giants  try  to  unite,  but  meet  with  poor  success, 
their  natures  are  too  opposite.  The  union  of  the  asas 
and  vans  is  accomplished  with  but  little  difficulty ;  while 
between  Odin  and  Loke  there  is  a  tendency  to  separate 
more  and  more.  The  beginning  of  warfare  between  the 
gods  and  the  giants  is  the  beginning  of  nature's  devel- 
opment; the  giants  storm  the  heavens  and  are  repulsed; 
this  struggle  lasts  through  life,  and  in  it  Sleipner  is 
produced.  Later,  begins  the  war  between  the  asas  and 
vans,  which  ends  in  peace,  and  with  this  peace  begins 
the  development  of  society;  the  asas  and  vans  together 
forming  a  series  of  beautiful  myths,  that  have  reference 
to  war,  to  the  cultivation  of  the  earth,  to  the  civilizing 
influences  of  the  water,  to  the  greater  development  of 
the  mind  and  heart, —  that  is,  to  knowledge,  love,  hu- 
manity and  peace, —  the  object  of  which  is  reconcilia- 
tion, reached  by  labor  and  struggles.  But  enmity  soon 
arises  among  the  gods  themselves.  Odin's  union  with 
Loke  is  dissolved.      In  the  midst  of  the  good  there  is 


A    BRIEF   REVIEW.  409 

evil.  The  evil  proceeds  from  the  good  by  separation, 
by  taking  a  wrong  course.  The  unity  of  the  spirit 
is  destroyed  when  anything  tears  itself  loose  from  it 
and  assumes  an  independent  position  in  opposition  to 
it.  Loke  separates  himself  from  Odin  and  develops 
himself  independently.  He  acts  like  Odin;  he  perme- 
ates all  nature  and  the  soul  of  man ;  but  he  does  it  in- 
dependently, and  the  result  is  that  the  powers  of  evil 
spread  over  the  earth  in  the  form  of  Loke's  children. 
Everything  becomes  wild  and  tumultuous.  Fire  rages 
in  its  frantic  fury  in  the  character  of  the  Fenris-wolf. 
The  Midgard-serpent  represents  the  furious  convulsions 
of  the  sea;  cowardice  seizes  the  heart  and  begets  the 
pale  Hel,  death  without  conflict,  life  as  a  mere  shadow. 
Thus  it  goes  on.  Knowledge  rightly  used  is  a  blessing,  but 
unconstrained  by  prudence  it  degenerates  into  cunning 
and  deceitfulness ;  killing  is  honorable,  but  unconstrained 
by  justice  and  valor  it  becomes  foul  murder;  to  break  a 
promise  that  can  no  longer  be  kept  is  proper,  but  when 
done  recklessly  it  is  perjury.  We  find,  throughout  the 
life  of  the  gods,  light  and  darkness  well  defined  and 
distinctly  separated.  Loke  fluctuates  between  the  two; 
he  gradually  leaves  light  and  unites  himself  to  darkness. 
The  darkness  of  night  supplants  the  light  of  day;  the 
gloomy  winter  overcomes  the  shining  summer.  The  gods 
learn  that  they  are  subject  to  the  infirmities  of  old  age ; 
the  rejuvenating  Idun  sinks  into  the  abyss.  From  the 
depths  below,  Odin  receives  warnings  that  the  light  of 
life  may  be  extinguished.  Loke  begins  his  conflict  with 
Balder;  finally  his  stratagem  and  cunning  gain  a  vic- 
tory, and  all  the  sorrowing  of  nature  is  in  vain.  Loke 
is  chained,  but  Balder  does  not  return  from  Hel.  Vale 
has  avenged  his  brother's  death,  but  the  end  of  life  is 
at  hand.  And  now  we  are  prepared  for  Eagnarok, 
followed  by  the  regeneration  of  the  earth. 


PART  III. 
RAGNAROK  AND  REGENERATION. 

SKULD. 


Litis  sjaum  aptr, 

En  ekki  fram ; 

Skyggir  Skuld  fyrir  sjon. 


*•  CHAPTER  I. 


EAGNAROK. 

THE  final  destruction  of  the  world,  and  regeneration 
of  gods  and  men,  is  called  Eagnarok;  that  is,  the 
Twilight  of  the  gods  {Ragna,  from  regin,  god,  and  rohr, 
darkness). 

The  journey  through  life  has  been  a  long  one,  and 
yet  we  have  not  reached  the  end,  for  the  end  is  also  the 
beginning.  Death  is  the  center,  where  the  present  and 
future  existence  meet.  When  life  ends,  there  is  a 
change,  there  comes  a  new  day  and  a  sun  without  a 
shadow. 

In  comparing  the  Greek  mythology  with  the  Norse, 
it  was  stated,  that  the  Norse  has  a  theoktonic  myth, 
while  the  Greek  lacks  the  final  act  of  the  grand  drama. 
The  Greeks  knew  of  no  death  of  the  gods;  their  gods 
were  immortal.  A.nd  yet,  what  were  they  but  an  ideal 
conception  of  the  forms  of  life  ?  And  this  life  with  all 
its  vanity,  pomp  and  glory,  the  Greek  loved  so  dearly, 
that  he  thought  it  must  last  forever.  He  imagined  an 
everlasting  series  of  changes.  But  what  will  then  the 
final  result  be  ?  Shall  the  thundering  Zeus  forever  con- 
tinue to  thunder  ?  Shall  the  faithless  Aphrodite  forever 
be  unfaithful?  Shall  Typhon  forever  go  on  with  his 
desolations?  Shall  the  sinner  continue  to  sin  forever, 
and  shall  the  world  continue  without  end  to  foster  and 
nourish  evil?  These  are  questions  that  find  no  satis- 
factory answer  in  the  Greek  mythology. 

(413) 


414  RAGNAROK. 

Among  the  Norsemen,  on  the  other  hand,  we  find 
in  their  most  ancient  records  a  clearly  expressed  faith 
in  the  perishableness  of  all  things;  and  we  find  this 
faith  at  every  step  that  the  Norsemen  has  taken.  The 
origin  of  this  faith  we  seek  in  vain;  it  conceals  itself 
beneath  the  waters  of  the  primeval  fountains  of  their 
thoughts  and  aspirations.  They  regarded  death  as  but 
the  middle  of  a  long  life.  They  considered  it  cowardice 
to  spare  a  life  that  is  to  return ;  they  thought  it  folly  to 
care  for  a  world  that  must  necessarily  perish;  while 
they  knew  that  their  spirits  would  be  clothed  with 
increased  vigor  in  the  other  world.  Happy  were  they 
who  lived  beneath  the  polar  star,  for  the  greatest  fear 
that  man  knows,  the  fear  of  death,  disturbed  them  not. 
They  rushed  cheerfully  upon  the  sword;  they  entered 
the  battle  boldly,  for,  like  their  gods,  who  every  moment 
looked  forward  to  the  inevitable  Eagnarok,  they  knew 
that  life  could  be  purchased  by  a  heroic  death. 

The  very  fact  that  the  gods  in  the  creation  proceeded 
from  the  giant  Ymer  foreshadowed  their  destruction. 
The  germ  of  death  was  in  their  nature  from  the  begin- 
ning, and  this  germ  would  gradually  develop  as  their 
strength  gradually  became  wasted  and  consumed.  That 
which  is  born  must  die,  but  that  which  is  not  born 
cannot  grow  old. 

The  gradual  growth  of  this  germ  of  death,  and  cor- 
responding waste  of  the  strength  of  the  gods,  is  pro- 
foundly sketched  throughout  the  mythology.  The  gods 
cannot  be  conquered,  unless  they  make  themselves  weak ; 
but  such  is  the  very  nature  of  things,  that  they  must  do 
this.  To  win  the  charming  Gerd,  Frey  must  give  away 
his  sword,  but  when  the  great  final  conflict  comes  he 
has  no  weapon.  In  order  that  the  Penris-wolf  may  be 
chained,  Tyr  must  risk  his  right  hand,  and  he  loses  it. 


RAGNAROK.  415 

How  shall  he  then  fight  in  Kagnarok?  Balder  could 
not  have  died,  had  not  the  gods  been  blind  and  presump- 
tuous; their  thoughtlessness  put  weapons  into  the  hands 
of  their  enemy.  Hoder  would  never  have  thrown  the 
fatal  mistletoe,  had  not  their  own  appointed  game  been 
an  inducement  to  him  to  honor  his  brother.  When  Loke 
became  separated  from  Odin,  the  death  of  the  gods  was  a 
foregone  conclusion. 

The  imperfection  of  nature  is  also  vividly  depicted 
in  the  Eddas.  The  sun  was  so  scorching  hot  that  the 
gods  had  to  place  a  shield  before  it;  the  fire  was  so 
destructive  that  the  gods  had  to  chain  it,  in  order  that 
it  might  not  bring  ruin  upon  the  whole  world.  Life, 
after  the  natural  death,  was  not  continued  only  in  the 
shining  halls  of  Valhal,  but  also  in  the  subterranean 
regions  among  the  shades  of  Hel. 

Our  old  Gothic  fathers,  in  the  poetic  dawn  of  our 
race,  investigated  the  origin  and  beginning  of  nature 
and  time.  The  divine  poetic  and  imaginative  spark  in 
them  lifted  them  up  to  the  Eternal,  to  that  wonderful 
secret  fountain  which  is  the  source  of  all  things.  They 
looked  about  them  in  profound  meditation  to  find  the 
image  and  reflection  of  that  glorious  harmony  which 
their  soul  in  its  heavenly  flight  had  found,  but  in  all 
earthly  things  they  discovered  strife  and  warfare.  When 
the  storms  bent  the  pine  trees  on  the  mountain  tops, 
and  when  the  foaming  waves  rolled  in  gigantic  fury 
against  the  rocky  cliffs,  the  Norseman  saw  strife.  When 
the  growl  of  the  bear  and  the  howl  of  the  wolf  blended 
with  the  moaning  of  the  winds  and  the  roaring  of  the 
waters,  he  heard  strife.  In  unceasing  conflict  with  the 
earth,  with  the  beasts  and  with  each  other,  he  saw  men 
stand,  conquer,  and  fall.  If  he  lifted  his  weary  eye 
toward  the  skies,  he  saw  the  light  struggling  with  dark- 


416  RAGNAEOK. 

ness  and  with  itself.  When  light  arose  out  of  darkness, 
it  was  greeted  with  enthusiasm;  when  it  sank  again 
into  darkness,  its  rays  were  broken  and  it  dissolved  in 
glimmering  colors;  and  if  he  looked  down  into  the 
heart  of  man,  into  his  own  breast,  he  found  that  all 
this  conflict  of  opposing  elements  in  the  outward  world 
did  but  faintly  symbolize  that  terrible  warfare  pervading 
and  shattering  his  whole  being.  Well  might  he  long 
for  peace,  and  can  we  wonder  that  this  deep  longing 
for  rest  and  peace,  which  filled  his  heart  in  the  midst 
of  all  his  struggles, —  can  we  wonder,  we  say,  that  his 
longing  for  peace  found  a  grand  expression  in  a  final 
conflict  through  which  imperishableness  and  harmony 
were  attained  ? 

This  final  conflict,  this  dissolution  of  nature's  and 
life's  disharmony,  the  Edda  presents  to  us  in  the  death 
of  the  gods,  which  is  usually,  as  stated,  called  Eagnarok. 

There  is  nothing  more  sublime  in  poetry  than  the 
description,  in  the  Eddas,  of  Eagnarok.  It  is  preceded 
by  ages  of  crime  and  terror.  The  vala  looks  down 
into  Niflheim,  and 

There  saw  slie  wade 

In  the  heavy  streams 

Men  —  foul  murderers. 

And  perjurers, 

And  them  who  other's  wives 

Seduce  to  sin. 

The  growing  depravity  and  strife  in  the  world  pro- 
claim the  approach  of  this  great  event.  First  there  is 
a  winter  called  Fimbul-winter,  during  which  snow  will 
fall  from  the  four  corners  of  the  world ;  the  frosts  will 
be  very  severe,  the  winds  piercing,  the  weather  tem- 
pestuous, and  the  sun  will  impart  no  gladness.  Three 
such  winters   shall  pass  away  without  being  tempered 


RAGNAROK.  417 

by  a  single  summer.  Three  other  similar  winters  follow, 
during  which  war  and  discord  will  spread  over  the  whole 
earth.  Brothers  for  the  sake  of  mere  gain  shall  kill 
each  other,  and  no  one  shall  spare  either  his  parents 
or  his  children.      Thus  the  Elder  Edda: 

Brothers  slay  brothers ; 
Sisters'  children 
Shed  each  other's  blood. 
Hard  is  the  world  ; 
Sensual  sin  grows  huge. 
There  are  sword-ages,  ax -ages; 
Shields  are  cleft  in  twain ; 
Storm-ages,  murder-ages ; 
Till  the  world  falls  dead. 
And  men  no  longer  spare 
Or  pity  one  another. 

Then  shall  happen  such  things  as  may  truly  be 
regarded  as  great  miracles.  The  Fenris-wolf  shall  devour 
the  sun,  and  a  severe  loss  will  that  be  to  mankind. 
The  other  wolf*  will  take  the  moon,  and  this,  too,  will 
cause  great  mischief.  Then  the  stars  shall  be  hurled 
from  the  heavens,  and  the  earth  shall  be  shaken  so 
violently  that  trees  will  be  torn  up  by  the  roots,  the 
tottering  mountains  will  tumble  headlong  from  their 
foundations,  and  all  bonds  and  fetters  will  be  shivered 
to  pieces.  The  Fenris-wolf  then  breaks  loose  and  the 
sea  rushes  over  the  earth  on  account  of  the  Midgard- 
serpent  writhing  in  giant  rage  and  gaining  the  land. 
On  the  waters  floats  the  ship  Naglfar  (nail-ship),  which 
is  constructed  of  the  nails  of  dead  men.  For  this  reason 
great  care  should  be  taken  to  die  with  pared  nails,  for 
he  who  dies  with  his  nails  unpared  supplies  materials 
for  the  building  of  this  ship,  which  both  gods  and  men 
wish  may  be  finished  as  late  as  possible.     But  in  this 

*  Moongarm.    See  Vocabulary. 


418  RAGNAKOK. 

flood  shall  Naglfar  float,  and  the  giant  Hrym  be  its 
steersman. 

The  Fenris-wolf  advances  and  opens  his  enormous 
mouth;  the  lower  jaw  reaches  to  -the  earth  and  the 
upper  one  to  heaven,  and  he  would  open  it  still  wider 
had  he  room  to  do  so.  Fire  flashes  from  his  eyes  and 
nostrils.  The  Midgard-serpent,  placing  himself  by  the 
side  of  the  Fenris-wolf,  vomits  forth  floods  of  poison, 
which  fill  the  air  and  the  waters.  Amidst  this  devasta- 
tion the  heavens  are  rent  in  twain,  and  the  sons  of 
Muspel  come  riding  through  the  opening  in  brilliant 
array.  Surt  rides  first,  and  before  and  behind  him 
flames  burning  fire.  His  sword  outshines  the  sun  itself. 
Bifrost  (the  rainbow),  as  they  ride  over  it,  breaks  to 
pieces.  Then  they  direct  their  course  to  the  battle-field 
called  Vigrid.  Thither  repair  also  the  Fenris-wolf  and 
the  Midgard-serpent,  and  Loke  with  all  the  followers  of 
Hel,  and  Hrym  with  all  the  frost-giants.  But  the  sons 
of  Muspel  keep  their  effulgent  bands  apart  on  the  battle- 
field, which  is  one  hundred  miles   (rasts)    on  each  side. 

Meanwhile  Heimdal  arises,  and  with  all  his  strength 
he  blows  the  Gjallar-horn  to  arouse  the  gods,  who  assem- 
ble without  delay.  Odin  then  rides  to  Mimer's  fountain 
and  consults  Mimer  how  he  and  his  warriors  are  to  enter 
into  action.  The  ash  Ygdrasil  begins  to  quiver,  nor  is 
there  anything  in  heaven  or  on  earth  that  does  not  fear 
and  tremble  in  that  terrible  hour.  The  gods  and  all  the 
einherjes  of  Valhal  arm  themselves  with  speed  and  sally 
forth  to  the  field,  led  on  by  Odin  with  his  golden  helmet, 
resplendent  cuirass,  and  spear  called  Gungner.  Odin 
places  himself  against  the  Fenris-wolf  Thor  stands  by 
his  side,  but  can  render  him  no  assistance,  having  him- 
self to  combat  the  Midgard-serpent.  Frey  encounters 
Surt,  and  terrible  blows  are  exchanged   ere  Frey  falls; 


RAGXAROK.  419 

and  he  owes  his  defeat  to  his  not  having  that  trusty 
sword  which  he  gave  to  Skirner.  That  day  the  dog 
Garni,  that  had  been  chained  in  the  Gnipa-cave,  breaks 
loose.  He  is  the  most  fearful  monster  of  all,  and  attacks 
Tyr,  and  they  kill  each  other.  TlK>r  gains  great  renown 
for  killing  the  Midgard-serpent,  but  at  the  same  time, 
retreating  nine  paces,  he  falls  dead  upon  the  spot,  suffo- 
cated with  the  floods  of  venom  which  the  dying  serpent 
vomits  forth  upon  him.  The  wolf  swallows  Odin,  but 
at  that  instant  Vidar  advances,  and  setting  his  foot  upon 
the  monster's  lower  jaw  he  seizes  the  other  vrith  his  hand, 
and  thus  tears  and  rends  him  till  he  dies.  Vidar  is  able 
to  do  this  because  he  wears  those  shoes  which  have 
before  been  mentioned,  and  for  which  stuff  has  been 
gathered  in  all  ages,  namely,  the  shreds  of  leather  which 
are  cut  off  to  form  the  toes  and  heels  of  shoes;  and  it 
is  on  this  account  that  those  who  desire  to  render 
service  to  the  gods  should  take  care  to  throw  such  shreds 
away.  Loke  and  Heimdal  fight  and  kill  each  other. 
Then  Surt  flings  fire  and  flame  over  the  world.  Smoke 
wreathes  up  around  the  all-nourishing  tree  (Ygdrasil), 
the  high  flames  play  against  the  heavens,  and  earth 
consumed  sinks  down  beneath  the  sea. 

All   this  is  vividly  and   sublimely  presented  in   the 
Elder  Edda,  thus: 

East  of  Midgard  in  the  Ironwood 

The  old  hag*  sat, 

Fenrer's  terrible 

Race  she  fostered. 

Onef  of  them 

Shall  at  last 

In  the  guise  of  a  troll 

Devour  the  moon. 

*  Angerboda.    See  p.  179.  +  Moongarm.    See  p.  180. 


420  RAGNAROK. 

It  feeds  on  the  bodies 
Of  men,  when  they  die : 
The  seats  of  the  gods 
It  stains  with  red  blood: 
The  sunshine  blackens 
In  th©-  summers  thereafter 
And  the  weather  grows  bad — 
Know  ye  now  more  or  not? 

The  hag's  watcher, 
The  glad  Edger, 
Sat  on  the  hill-top 
And  played  his  harp; 
Near  him  crowed 
In  the  bird-wood 
A  fair-red  cock 
Which  Fjalar  hight. 

Among  the  gods  crowed 
The  gold-combed  cock, 
He  who  wakes  in  Valhal 
The  hosts  of  heroes ; 
Beneath  the  earth 
Crows  another. 
The  root-red  cock. 
In  the  halls  of  Hel. 

Loud  barks  Garm 
At  Gnipa-cave ; 
The  fetters  are  severed, 
The  wolf  is  set  free, — 
Vala  knows  the  future. 
More  does  she  see 
Of  the  victorious  gods 
Terrible  fall. 

The  wolf  referred  to  in  the  first  strophe  is  Maane- 
garm  (the  moon-devourer),  of  whom  we  have  made 
notice  before.  The  hag  in  the  Ironwood  is  Angerboda 
(anguish-boding),  with  whom  Loke  begat  children.  Evil 
IS   being   developed.     The   gods  become   through   Loke 


RAGNAROK.  4^31 

united  with  the  giants.  The  wood  is  of  iron,  hard  and 
barren;  the  children  are  ravenous  wolves.  On  the  hill- 
top sits  Egder  (an  eagle),  a  storm-eagle,  the  howling 
wind  that  rushes  through  the  wood,  and  howling  wind 
is  the  music  produced  upon  his  harp.  The  cock  is  a 
symbol  of  fire,  and  it  is  even  to  this  day  a  common 
expression  among  the  Norsemen,  when  a  fire  breaks 
out,  that  the  red  cock  is  crowing  over  the  roof  of  the 
house.  There  are  three  cocks,  one  in  the  bird-wood, 
one  in  heaven,  and  one  in  the  lower  regions  with  Hel. 
The  idea  then  is,  that  the  cock  as  a  symbol  of  fire  an- 
nounces the  coming  of  Eagnarok  in  all  the  regions  of  the 
world.    The  vala  continues: 

Mimer's  sons  piny ; 

To  battle  the  gods  are  called 

By  the  ancient 

Gjallar-horn. 

Loud  blows  Heimdal, 

His  sound  is  in  the  air ; 

Odin  talks 

With  the  head  of  Mimer. 

Quivers  then  Ygdrasil, 
The  strong-rooted  ash ; 
Rustles  the  old  tree 
When  the  giant  gives  way. 
All  things  tremble 
In  the  realms  of  Hel, 
Till  Surfs  son 
Swallows  up  Odin. 

How  fare  the  gods? 

How  fare  the  elves  ? 

Jotunheim  shrieks. 

The  gods  hold  Thing; 

The  dwarfs  shudder 

Before  their  cleft  caverns. 

Where  behind  rocky  walls  they  dwell. 

Know  ye  now  more  or  not? 


4:22  RAGKAROK. 

Loud  barks  Garm* 
At  Gnipa-cave; 
The  fetters  are  severed, 
The  wolf  is  set  free, — 
Vala  knows  the  future. 
More  does  she  see 
Of  the  victorious  gods' 
Terrible  fall. 

From  the  east  drives  Hrym, 

Bears  his  child  before  him  ; 

Jormungander  welters 

In  giant  fierceness ; 

The  waves  thunder; 

The  eagle  screams, 

Eends  the  corpses  with  pale  beak, 

And  Naglfar  is  launched. 

A  ship  from  the  east  nears. 
The  hosts  of  Muspel 
Come  o'er  the  main. 
But  Loke  is  pilot. 
All  grim  and  gaunt  monsters 
Conjoin  with  the  wolf. 
And  before  them  all  goes 
The  brother  of  Byleist.f 

From  the  south  wends  Surt 
With  seething  fire ; 
The  sun  of  the  war-god 
Shines  in  his  sword ; 
Mountains  together  dash. 
And  f  rigliten  the  giant-maids ; 
Heroes  tread  the  paths  to  Hel, 
And  heaven  in  twain  is  rent. 

Over  Hlinif  then  shall  come 
Another  woe. 
When  Odin  goes  forth 
The  wolf  to  combat, 

•Hel's  dog.  tLoke.  JOne  of  Frigg's  maid-servants. 


RAGNAROK.  423 

And  he  *  who  Bele  slew 
'Gainst  Surt  rides ; 
Then  will  Frigg's 
Beloved  husband  f  fall. 

Loud  barks  Garm 

At  Guipa-cave ; 

Tlie  fetters  are  severed, 

The  wolf  is  set  free, — 

Vala  knows  the  future. 

More  does  she  see 

Of  the  victorious  gods' 

Terrible  fall. 

Then  Vidar,  the  great  son 

Of  Victory's  father. 

Goes  forth  to  fight 

With  the  ferocious  beast ; 

With  firm  grasp  his  sword 

In  the  giant-born  monster's  heart 

Deep  he  plants, 

And  avenges  his  father. 

Then  the  famous  son  | 

Of  Hlodyn  §  comes  ; 

Odin's  son  comes 

To  fight  with  the  serpent ; 

Midgard's  ward  1| 

In  wrath  slays  the  serpent. 

Nine  paces  away 

Goes  the  son  of  Fjorgyn  ; 

He  totters,  wounded 

By  the  fierce  serpent. 

All  men 

Abandon  the  earth. 

The  sun  darkens, 

The  earth  sinks  into  the  ocean  ; 

The  lucid  stars 

From  heaven  vanish ; 

*Frey.      tOdin.      :};  Thor.      §  Another  name  for  Frigg.      |  Defender. 


424  RAGNAROK. 

Fire  and  vapor 
Rage  toward  heaven ; 
High  flames 
Involve  the  skies. 

Loud  barks  Garm 

At  Gnipa-cave  ; 

The  fetters  are  severed, 

The  wolf  is  set  free, — 

Vala  knows  the  future. 

More  does  she  see 

Of  the  victorious  gods' 

Terrible  fall. 

These  strophes  are  taken  from  Voluspa  (the  prophecy 
of  the  vala) ;  and  besides  these  we  also  have  a  few 
strophes  of  the  lay  of  Vafthrudner,  in  the  Elder  Edda, 
referring  to  the  final  conflict: 

VAFTHRUDNER : 

Tell  me,  Gagnraad,* 
Since  on  the  floor  thou  wilt 
Prove  thy  proficiency. 
How  that  plain  is  called. 
Where  in  fight  shall  meet 
Surt  and  the  gentle  gods? 

GAGNRAAD  (ODIN)  : 

Vigrid  the  plain  is  called, 

Where  in  fight  shall  meet 

Surt  and  the  gentle  gods ; 

A  hundred  rasts  it  is 

On  every  side. 

That  plain  is  to  them  decreed. 

And   in   the  second   part  of  this  same  poem,  in  which 
Odin  asks  and  Vafthrudner  answers: 

*  Odin. 


RAGNAEOK.  425 

GAGNKAAD   (ODIN)  : 

What  of  Odin  will 
The  end  of  life  be, 
When  the  powers  perish? 

VAPTHRUDNER : 
The  wolf  will 
The  father  of  men  devour ; 
Him  Vidar  will  avenge:  \ 

He  his  cold  jaws 
Will  cleave 
In  conflict  with  the  wolf. 

The  terrible  dog  mentioned  several  times  is  Hel's 
bloody-breasted  and  murderous  houud.  Like  the  Fenris- 
wolf  and  Loke,  this  dog  had  been  bound  at  G-nipa-cave, 
although  the  Eddas  tell  us  nothing  about  when  or  how 
this  was  done. 

When  it  is  said  that  another  woe  comes  over  Hlin, 
the  maid-servant  is  placed  for  Frigg  herself;  and  the 
former  woe  implied  is  the  death  of  Balder,  the  other  woe 
meaning  the  approaching  death  of  Odin. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  as  this  final  conflict  is 
inevitable,  the  gods  proceed  to  it,  not  with  despair  and 
trembling,  but  joyfully  and  fearlessly  as  to  a  game,  for 
it  is  the  last.  Odin  rides  to  the  battle  adorned;  he 
knows  that  he  must  die,  and  for  this  very  reason  he 
decorates  himself  as  does  a  bride  for  the  wedding,  and 
the  gods  follow  him ;  even  those  who  are  defenseless 
voluntarily  expose  themselves  on  the  plain  of  Vignd. 
They  are  determined  to  die. 

Which  are  the  powers  that  now  oppose  each  other? 
On  the  one  side  we  have  those  who  have  ruled  and 
blessed  heaven  and  earth ;  and  fighting  against  them 
we  find  their  eternal  enemies,  those  powers  which  had 
sprung  into  being  before  heaven  and  earth  were  created, 
36 


426  KAGNAROK. 

and  those  which  had  developed  iu  the  earth  and  in  the 
sea,  and  which  no  asa-might  can  conquer.  From  Mus- 
pelheini  come  the  sons  of  Muspel  in  shining  armor; 
from  Muspel's  world  came  originally  the  sun,  moon  and 
stars.  It  is  a  fundamental  law  in  nature  that  all  things 
destroy  themselves,  all  things  contain  an  inherent  force 
that  finally  brings  ruin ;  that  is  the  meaning  of  perish- 
ableness  or  corruption.  A  second  host  consists  of  the 
frost-giants.  From  the  body  of  the  old  giant  Ymer 
was  formed  the  earth,  the  sea,  the  mountains,  the  trees, 
etc. ;  the  giants  must  therefore  assist  in  the  destruction 
of  their  own  work.  The  third  host  is  Loke  and  his 
children,  born  in  time  and  the  offspring  of  that  which 
was  created.  They  are  the  destructive  elements  in  that 
which  was  created ;  the  ocean  becoming  a  fierce  serpent, 
and  the  fire  a  devouring  wolf  Loke  himself  is  the 
volcanic  fire  which  the  earth  has  produced  within  its 
bowels;  and  then  there  is  all  that  is  cowardly  repre- 
sented by  the  pale  Hel  with  her  bloodless  shadows,  the 
life  which  has  turned  into  shadowy  death.  All  these 
forces  oppose  each  other.  Those  who  fought  in  life 
mutually  conquer  each  other  in  death.  Odin,  whose 
heaven  is  the  source  of  all  life,  is  slain  by  the  Fenris- 
wolf,  the  earthly  fire,  Avhich  has  brought  all  kinds  of 
activities  into  the  life  of  man;  but  the  wolf,  after  he 
has  conquered,  falls  again  at  the  hands  of  Vidar,  the 
imperishable,  incorruptible  force  of  nature.  In  this  duel 
heaven  and  earth  are  engaged.  The  god  of  the  clouds, 
Thor,  contends  with  the  Midgard-serpent, —  many  a 
struggle  they  have  had  together;  now  the  clouds  and 
ocean  mutually  destroy  each  other.  Since  the  death  of 
Balder,  Frey  is  the  most  pure  and  shining  divinity. 
His  pure  and  noble  purpose  and  longing  are  still  within 
him,  but  his  sword,  his  power,  is  gone.      Hence  he   is 


KAGNAROK.  427 

stricken  down  by  Surt,  the  warder  of  Muspelheim. 
Heimdal  stretched  his  brilhant  rainbow  over  the  earth, 
Loke  his  variegated  stream  of  fire  within  tlie  earth; 
the  one  proclaiming  mercies  and  blessings,  the  other 
destruction;  both  perish  in  Ragnarok.  Hel  and  her 
pale  host  also  betake  themselves  to  the  final  contest, 
but  the  Eddas  say  nothing  about  their  taking  part  in  the 
fight.  How  can  they  ?  They  are  nothing  but  empti- 
ness, the  mere  vanity  of  the  heart,  in  which  there  is  no 
substance ;  they  are  but  the  darkness  which  enwraps  the 
earth,  and  are  not  capable  of  deeds. 

Thus  is  Ragnarok !  The  great  antagonism  pervading 
the  world  is  removed  in  a  final  struggle,  in  which  the 
contending  powers  mutually  destroy  eacli  other.  Rag- 
narok is  an  outbreak  of  all  the  chaotic  powers,  a  conflict 
between  them  and  the  established  order  of  creation. 
Fire,  water,  darkness  and  death  work  together  to  destroy 
the  world.  The  gods  and  their  enemies  meet  in  a  uni- 
versal, world-embracing  wrestle  and  duel,  and  mutually 
destroy  each  other.  The  flames  of  Surt,  the  supreme 
fire-god,  complete  the  overthrow,  and  the  last  remnant 
of  the  consumed  earth  sinks  into  the  ocean. 


CHAPTER  II. 


REGENERATION. 

BUT  when  the  heavens  and  the  earth  and  the  whole 
world  have  been  consumed  in  flames,  when  the 
gods  and  all  the  einherjes  and  all  mankind  have  per- 
ished,—  what  then?  Is  not  man  immortal?  Are  not 
all  men  to  live  in  some  world  or  other  forever?  The 
vala  looks  again,  and 

She  sees  arise 
The  second  time, 
From  the  sea,  the  earth. 
Completely  green : 
Cascades  do  fall. 
The  eagle  soars. 
From  lofty  mounts 
Pursues  its  prey. 

The  gods  convene 

On  Ida's  plains, 

And  talk  of  the  powerful 

Midgard-serpent ; 

They  call  to  mind 

The  Fenris-wolf 

And  the  ancient  runes 

Of  the  mighty  Odin. 

Then  again 

The  wonderful 

Golden  tablets 

Are  found  in  the  grass: 

(428) 


REGENERATION.  439 

In  time's  morning 
The  leader  of  the  gods 
And  Odin's  race 
Possessed  them. 

The  fields  unsown 

Yield  their  growth; 

All  ills  cease ; 

Balder  comes. 

Hoder  and  Balder, 

Those  heavenly  gods, 

Dwell  together  in  Hropt's*  halls. 

Conceive  ye  this  or  not? 

Vidar  and  Vale  survive ;  neither  the  flood  nor  Surfs 
flume  has  harmed  them,  and  they  dwell  on  the  plain  of 
Ida,  where  Asgard  formerly  stood.  Thither  come  the 
sons  of  Thor,  Mode  and  Magne,  bringing  with  them 
their  father's  hammer,  Mjolner.  Hoener  is  there  also, 
and  compreliends  the  future.  Balder  and  Hoder  sit  and 
converse  together ;  they  call  to  mind  their  former  knowl- 
edge and  the  perils  they  underwent,  and  the  fight  with 
the  wolf  Fenrer,  and  with  the  Midgard-serpent.  The 
sons  of  Hoder  and  Balder  inhabit  the  wide  Wind-home. 
Tlie  sun  brings  forth  a  daughter  more  lovely  than  her- 
self, before  she  is  swallowed  by  Fenrer;  and  when  the 
gods  have  perished,  the  daughter  rides  in  her  mother's 
heavenly  course. 

During  the  conflagration  caused  by  Surfs  fire,  a 
woman  by  name  Lif  (life)  and  a  man  named  Lifthraser 
lie  concealed  in  Hodmimer's  forest.  The  dew  of  the 
dawn  serves  them  for  food,  and  so  great  a  race  shall 
spring  from  them  that  their  descendants  shall  soon 
spread  over  the  whole  earth. 

Then  the  vala 

*  Odin's. 


430  REGENERATION. 

Sees  a  hall  called  Gimle ; 
It  outshines  the  sun, 
Of  gold  its  roof ; 
It  stands  in  heaven : 
The  virtuous  there 
Shall  always  dwell. 
And  evermore 
Delights  enjoy. 

Toward  the  north  on  the  Nida-mountains  stands  a 
large  hall  of  shining  gold,  which  the  race  of  Sindre, 
that  is  the  dwarfs,  occupy.  There  is  also  another  hall 
called  Brimer,  which  is  also  in  heaven,  in  the  region 
Okolner,  and  there  all  who  delight  in  quaffing  good  drink 
will  find  plenty  in  store  for  them.  Good  and  virtuous 
beings  inhabit  all  these  halls. 

But  there  is  also  a  place  of  punishment.  It  is  called 
NaaStrand  (strand  of  dead  bodies).  In  Naastrand  there 
is  a  vast  and  terrible  structure,  with  doors  that  face  to 
the  north.  It  is  built  entirely  of  the  backs  of  serpents, 
wattled  together  like  wicker-work.  But  all  the  serpents' 
heads  are  turned  toward  the  inside  of  the  hall,  and  con- 
tinually vomit  forth  floods  of  venom,  in  which  wade  all 
those  who  have  committed  murder,  perjury,  or  adultery. 
The  vala,  in  the  Elder  Edda, 

Saw  a  hall 

Far  from  the  sun. 

On  the  strand  of  dead  bodies, 

With  doors  toward  the  north. 

Venom  drops 

Through  the  loopholes ; 

Formed  is  that  hall 

Of  wreathed  serpents. 

There  saw  she  wade 
Through  heavy  streams, 
Perjurers 
And  murderers 


REGENERATION".  431 

And  adulterers  ; 

There  Nidliug  sucked 

The  bodies  of  the  dead 

And  the  wolf  tore  them  to  pieces. 

Conceive  ye  this  or  not? 

Then  comes  the  mighty  one* 
To  the  great  judgment; 
From  heaven  he  comes. 
He  who  guides  all  things : 
Judgments  he  utters  ; 
Strifes  he  appeases. 
Laws  he  ordains 
To  flourish  forever. 

Or  as  it  is  stated  in  Hyndla's  lay,  after  she  lias  de- 
scribed Heimdal,  the  sublime  protector  of  the  perishable 

world : 

Then  comes  another 
Yet  more  mighty, 
But  him  dare  I  not 
Venture  to  name  ; 
Few  look  further  forward 
Than  to  the  time 
When  Odin  goes 
To  meet  the  wolf. 

And  when  the  vala  in  Voluspa,  beginning  with  the 
primeval  time,  has  unveiled,  in  the  most  profound  sen- 
tences, the  whole  history  of  the  universe, —  when  she 
has  gone  through  every  period  of  its  development  down 
through  Kagnarok  and  the  Regeneration,  the  following 
Ib  her  last  vision: 

There  comes  the  dark 
Dragon  f  flying. 
The  shining  serpent 
From  the  Nida-mountains 
In  the  deep. 

*  The  Supreme  God.  t  Nidbug. 


432  KEGENERATIO]S". 

Over  the  i^lain  it  flies; 

Dead  bodies  Nidliug 

Drags  in  liis  wliizzing  plumage,- 

Now  must  Nidliug-  sink. 

Thus  ends  the  vala's  prophecy  (vdhisjjd.)  She  has 
revealed  the  decrees  of  the  Father  of  Nature;  she  has 
described  the  conflagration  and  renovation  of  the  world, 
and  now  proclaims  the  fate  of  the  good  and  of  the  evil. 

The  world  and  the  things  in  it  perish,  but  not  the 
forces.  Some  of  the  gods  reappear  in  the  regenerated 
earth,  while  some  do  not.  They  who  reappear  are  men- 
tioned in  pairs,  excepting  Hceuer,  who  is  alone.  Balder 
and  Hoder  are  together;  likewise  Vidar  and  Vale,  and 
Mode  and  Magne.  Neither  Odin  nor  Thor  nor  the  vans 
appear.  They  perished  with  the  world,  for  they  repre- 
sented the  developing  forces  of  this  world;  they  were 
divinities  representing  that  which  came  into  being  and 
had  existence  in  it.  On  the  other  hand.  Balder  and 
Hoder  came  back  from  Hel.  They  represent  light  and 
darkness;  but  they  are  alike  in  this  respect,  that  they 
are  nothing  substantial,  nothing  real,  they  are  only  the 
condition  for  something  to  be,  or  we  might  say  they  are 
the  space,  the  firmament,  in  which  something  may  exist. 
They  are  the  two  brothers  whose  sons  shall  inhabit  the 
wide  Wind-home.  Thus  when  heaven  and  earth  have 
passed  away  there  is  nothing  remaining  but  the  wide 
expanse  of  space  with  light  and  darkness,  who  not  only 
rule  together  in  perfect  harmony,  but  also  permeate  each 
other  and  neutralize  each  other. 

Hoener  comes  back.  He  was  originally  one  of  the 
trinity  with  Odin  and  Loder  (Loke);  but  the  gods  re- 
ceived Njoi'd  as  a  hostage  from  the  vans,  and  gave  to 
the  vans  in  return  Hoener,  as  a  security  of  friendship 
between  them.     This  union  between  the  asas  and  vans 


EEGENERATIOK.  433 

is  now  dissolved.  Hoener  has  nothing  more  to  do  among 
the  vans.  Their  works  all  perished  with  the  old  earth. 
He  is  the  developing,  creative  force  that  is  needed  now 
in  the  new  world  as  it  was  in  the  old. 

Vidar  is  the  imperishable  force  in  original  nature, 
that  is,  in  crude  nature,  but  at  the  same  time  united 
with  the  gods.  He  is  the  connecting  link  between  gods 
and  giants.  His  mother  was  Grid,  a  giantess,  and  his 
father  was  Odin.  The  strong  Vale  begotten  of  Odin  and 
Eind  (the  slumbering  earth)  is  the  imperishable  force 
of  nature  which  constantly  renews  itself  in  the  earth  as 
a  habitation  of  man.  Both  Vidar  and  Vale  are  avenging 
gods.  Vale  avenges  the  death  of  Balder,  and  Vidar  the 
death  of  Odin,  and  thus  we  have  in  Vidar  and  Vale  rep- 
resentatives of  the  imperishable  force  of  nature  in  two 
forms,  the  one  without  and  the  other  within  the  domain 
of  man,  both  purified  and  renewed  in  the  regenerated 
earth. 

In  the  atmosphere  and  in  the  dense  clouds  reigned 
Thor,  with  his  flashing  fire  and  clattering  thunder. 
Thunder  and  lightning  have  passed  away,  but  the  forces 
that  produced  them,  courage  and  strength,  are  preserved 
in  Thor's  sons,  Mode  (courage)  and  Magne  (strength). 
They  have  their  father's  hammer,  Mjolner,  and  with  it 
they  can  strike  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  permeating 
the  new  heaven  and  the  new  earth.  What  a  well  of 
profound  thought  are  the  Eddas! 

The  parents  of  the  new  race  of  men  are  called  Lif 
and  Lifthraser.  Life  cannot  perish.  It  lies  concealed  in 
Hodmimer's  forest,  which  the  flame  of  Surt  was  not  able 
to  destroy.  The  new  race  of  mankind  seem  to  possess  a 
far  nobler  nature  than  the  former,  for  they  subsist  on 
the  morning  dew. 

Do  Mimer  and  Surt  live  ?     They  are  the  fundameutal 
37 


434  KEGENERATION. 

elements  of  fire  and  water.  The  Eddas  are  not  clear  on 
this  pomt,  but  an  affirmative  answer  seems  to  be  suggested 
in  the  fact  that  the  better  part  of  every  being  is  preserved. 

The  good  among  men  find  their  reward  in  Ginile; 
for  he  that  made  man  gave  him  a  soiil,  whicli  shall  live 
and  never  perish,  though  the  body  shall  have  mouldered 
away  or  have  been  burnt  to  ashes;  and  all  that  are 
righteous  shall  dwell  with  him  in  the  place  called  Gimle, 
says  the  Younger  Edda.  The  dwarfs  have  their  Sindre, 
and  their  golden  hall  on  the  Nida-mountains ;  and  the 
giant  has  his  shining  drinking  hall,  Brimer,  but  it  is 
situated  in  Okoluer  (not  cool),  where  there  is  no  more 
frost. 

The  Elder  Edda  seems  to  point  out  two  places  of 
punishment  for  men.  Giants  and  dwarfs  are  not  pun- 
shed,  for  they  act  blindly,  they  have  no  free  will.  But 
the  wicked  of  mankind  go  to  Naastrand  and  wade  in 
streams  of  serpent-venom,  and  thence  they  appear  to  be 
washed  down  into  Hvergelmer,  that  horrible  old  kettle, 
where  their  bodies  are  torn  by  Nidhug,  the  dragon  of  the 
uttermost  darkness. 

There  is  a  day  of  judgment.  The  good  and  bad  are 
separated.  The  god,  Avhom  the  Edda  dare  not  name,  is 
the  judge.  The  Younger  Edda  once  calls  him  Allfather, 
for  he  is  to  the  new  world  what  Odin  was  to  the  old.  He 
was  before  the  beginning  of  time,  and  at  the  end  of  time 
he  enters  upon  his  eternal  reign. 

The  reward  is  eternal.  Is  the  punishment  also  eter- 
nal ?  When  light  and  darkness  (Balder  and  Hoder)  can 
live  peaceably  together, —  when  darkness  can  resolve  itself 
into  light, —  cannot  then  the  evil  be  dissolved  in  the 
good ;  cannot  the  eternal  streams  of  goodness  wash  away 
the  evil?  We  think  so,  and  the  Edda  seems  to  justify 
us  in  this  thought;  at  least  the  Elder  Edda  seems  to 


REGENERATION.  435 

take  this  view  of  the  subject.     Listen  again  to  the  last 
vision  of  the  vala: 

TJiere  comes  the  dark 

Dragon  flying. 

The  shining  serpent 

From  the  Nida-mountains 

In  the  deep. 

Over  the  plain  it  flies; 

Dead  bodies  Nidhug 

Drags  in  his  whizzing  plumage, — 

Ifow  must  Nidhug  sink* 

When  there  is  an  intermediate  state,  a  transition,  a 
purification,  a  purgatory,  then  this  purification  must 
sooner  or  later  be  accomplished ;  and  that  is  the  day  of 
the  great  judgment,  tvJien  Nidlnig  must  sink,  and  never- 
more lift  his  Avings  loaded  with  dead  bodies.  This  idea 
is  beautifully  elaborated  in  Zendavista.  The  Edda  has 
it  in  a  single  line,  but  the  majority  of  its  interpreters 
have  not  comprehended  it.  We  who  are  permeated  by 
the  true  Christian  spirit,  we  know  how  great  joy  there 
is  in  heaven  over  a  sinner  who  is  converted;  we  know 
the  God  of  mercy,  who  does  not  desire  the  ruin  of  a 
single  sinner,  and  the  God  of  omnipotence,  who  with 
his  hand  is  able  to  press  the  tears  of  repentance  from 
.the  heart,  though  it  be  hard  as  steel;  we  comprehend 
why  he  lets  Nidhug  sink  down.  All  darkness  shall  be 
cleared  up  and  be  gilded  by  the  shining  light  of  heaven. 

*  We  present  this  view  of  the  subject  from  N.  M.  Petersen,  who  suggests 
that  the  common  reading  of  this  passage  Iwn  ought  to  be  hann,—  that  is  he,  not 
she.  In  our  translation  we  have  supplied  the  noun  Nidhug,  while  if  we  had 
followed  the  other  authorities  we  would  have  used  the  noun  vala.  Petersen 
remarks  that  the  word  sink  (sokkvask)  is  a  natural  expression  when  applied  to 
the  dragon,  who  einks  into  the  abyss,  but  forced  and  unnatural  when  applied 
to  the  vala.  He  also  quotes  another  passage  (the  last  line  in  Brynhild's  Ilel- 
ride,  where  Brynhild  says  to  the  hag:  Sink  thou  {sokkstu !)  of  giantkind!) 
from  the  Elder  Edda  which  corroborates  his  view.  As  the  reader  will  observe 
we  have  adopted  Petersen's  view  entirely. 


436  CONCLUSION. 

Such  was  the  origin,  the  development,  the  destruc- 
tion and  regeneration  of  the  world.  And  now,  says  the 
Younger  Edda,  as  it  closes  the  deluding  of  King  Gylfe, 
if  you  have  any  further  questions  to  ask,  I  know  not 
who  can  answer  you;  for  I  never  heard  tell  of  anyone 
who  could  relate  what  will  happen  in  the  other  ages  of 
the  world.  Make  therefore  the  best  use  you  can  of 
what  has  been  imparted  to  you. 

Upon  this  Ganglere  heard  a  terrible  noise  all  around 
him.  He  looked,  but  could  see  neither  palace  nor  city 
anywhere,  nor  anything  save  a  vast  plain.  He  therefore 
set  out  on  his  return  to  his  kingdom,  where  he  related 
all  that  he  had  seen  and  heard;  and  ever  since  that 
time  these  tidings  have  been  handed  down  from  man  to 
man  by  oral  tradition,  and  we  add,  may  the  stream  of 
story  never  cease  to  flow !  May  the  youth,  the  vigorous 
man,  and  the  grandfather  with  his  silvery  locks,  forever 
continue  to  refresh  their  minds  by  looking  into  and 
drinking  from  the  fountain  that  reflects  the  ancient  his- 
tory of  the  great  Gothic  race! 

In  closing,  we  would  present  this  question :  Shall 
we  have  northern  art?  We  have  southern  art  (Hercu- 
les and  Hebe),  we  have  oriental  art  (Adam  and  Eve),  and 
now  will  some  one  complete  the  trilogy  by  adding  Loke 
and  Sigyn  ?  Ay,  let  us  have  another  Thorvaldsen,  and 
let  him  devote  himself  to  northern  art.  Here  is  a  new 
and  untrodden  field  for  the  artist.  Ye  Gothic  poets  and 
painters  and  sculptors !   why  stand  ye  here  idle  ? 


VOCABULARY 


PRINCIPAL  PROPER  NAMES 


OCCURRING    IN    THE 


NORSE    MYTHOLOGY, 


A  BRIEF  SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  CHARACTER  AND  EXPLOITS  OF 

THE  GODS,  EXPLANATIONS,  ETYMOLOGICAL 

DEFINITIONS,  ETC. 


THE  ORIGINAL  ICELANDIC  FORM  OF  TDE  WORD  IN  THE  VOCABULARY, 


AND  ADDING,   AFTER  THE   SYNOPSIS, 


THE  ANGLICIZED  FORM   USED  BY  THE  AUTHOR 
THROUGHOUT  THE  WORK. 


Arranged  by  the  Author  from  the  Best  Sources. 


VOCABULARY. 


>E6iR  [Anglo-Sax.  cagor,  the  sea].  The  god  presiding  over  the 
stormy  sea.  He  entertains  the  gods  every  harvest,  and 
brews  ale  for  them.  It  still  survives  in  provincial  English 
for  the  sea-wave  on  rivers.  Have  a  care,  there  is  the  eager 
coming!  —  (Carlyle's  Heroes  and  Hero-worship.)     ^yer. 

Agnar.     a  son  of  King  Hraudung  and  foster-son  of  Frigg.  Agnar. 

Agnar.  a  son  of  King  Geirrod.  He  gives  a  drink  to  Grimner 
(Odin).     Agnar. 

Alfr  [Anglo-Sax.  (elf,  munt-idfen,  sm-elfen,  wudu-elfen,  etc. ;  Eng. 
elf,  elves;  Germ,  alb  and  elf  en,  Ei'l-  in  ^-^konig  (Goethe)  is, 
according  to  Grimm,  a  corrupt  form  from  the  Danish  ElWkoT^ge 
like  ^^ye?'konge ;  in  the  west  of  Iceland  the  word  is  also  pro- 
nounced dlbi"].  An  elf,  fairy ;  a  class  of  beings  like  the  dwarfs, 
between  gods  and  men.  They  were  of  two  kinds :  elves  of 
light  {Ljosdlfar)  and  elves  of  darkness  {Dukkdlfar).  The  abode 
of  the  elves  is  Alfheimr,  fairy-land,  and  their  king  is  the  god 
Frey      Elf. 

Alfo^r  or  Alfa-Sir  [Father  of  all].  The  name  of  Odin  as  the 
supreme  god.  It  also  refers  to  the  supreme  and  unknown 
god.    Allfatlier. 

Alfheimr  \jUf,  elf,  and  hcimr,  home].  Elf-land,  fairy-land. 
Frey's  dwelling,  given  him  as  a  tooth-gift.     Alfheim. 

Alsvi^r  [svi'&r,  from  svi^a,  to  scorch].  All-scorching.  One  of  the 
horses  of  the  sun.     Alsvid. 

Alviss  [All-wise].  The  dwarf  who  answers  Thor's  questions  in 
the  lay  of  Alvis.     Alvis. 

Amsvartnir.  [The  etymology  is  doubtful ;  perhaps  from  ama,  to 
vex,  annoy,  and  svartnir  (svartr),  black.]  The  name  of  the 
sea,  in  which  the  island  was  situated  where  the  wolf  Fenrer 
was  chained.    Amsvartner. 

(439) 


440  VOCABULAKY. 

Ai^NARR  or  6narii.    Husband  of  niglit  and  father  of  Jord  (j(Vr5 

earth).     Annar. 
Andhkimnir  \_uHcl,  soul,  spirit,  breath,  and  lirimnir,  Tirim.    Anglo- 
Sax,  hrlm  ;  Eng.  rirae,  hoar-frost ;  hrlmnir,  the  one  producing 

the  hoar-frost].     The  cook  in  Valhal.     Andlirimner. 
Andvari.     The  name  of  a  gurnard-shaped  dwarf;  the  owner  of 

the  fatal  ring  called  Andvaranautr.    Andvarc. 
Andvarafors.     The  force  or  waterfall  in  which  the  dwarf  And- 

vare  kept  himself  in  the  form  of  a  gurnard  (pike).   Andvare- 

Force. 
Andvaranautr  \_und,  spirit ;  'oarr,  cautious ;  nautr,  Germ,  ge-nosse 

(from  Icel.  njota),  a  donor].     The  fatal  ring  given  by  Andvare 

(the  wary  spirit).     Andcarenaut. 
Angantyr.     He  has  a  legal  dispute  with  Ottar  Heimske,  who  is 

favored  by  Freyja.     Angantyr. 
Angeyja.     One    of    Heimdal's    nine    mothers.     Says    the    Elder 

Edda  in  the  Lay  of   Hyndla :   Nine  giant  maids  gave  birth 

to   the   gracious    god,   at    the   world's    margin.     These    are . 

Gjalp,  Greip,  Eistla,  Angeyja,   Ulfrun,  Eyrgjafa,   Imd,   Atla, 

and  Jarnsaxa.     Angeyja. 
Angreo'Sa  [Anguish-boding].     A  giantess  ;  mother  of  the  Fenris- 

wolf  by  Loke.     Angcrboda. 
Arvakr  [Early  awake].     The  name  of  one  of  the  horses  of  the 

sun.     Aarvak. 
Ass  or  As ;  plural  ^siR.     The  asas,  gods.     The  word  appears  in 

such   English  names  as  Oshorn,  Oswald,  etc.     With  an  n  it 

is  found  in  the  Germ.  Ansgar  (Anglo-Sax.  Oscar).     It  is  also 

found    in    many    Scandinavian    proper    names,   as    -4sbjorn, 

Astrid,  etc.     The    term   (esir   is    used   to   distinguish    Odin, 

Thor,  etc.,  from  the  vanir  (vans).    Asa. 
AsA-LOKi.     Loke,    so    called    to    distinguish    him    from    Utgard- 

Loke,  who  is  a  giant.     Asa-Lokc. 
AsA-pORR.     A  common  name  for  Thor.     Asa-Tlwr. 
Asgar'Sr.     The  residence  of  the  gods  (asas).     Asgard. 
AsKR   [Anglo-Sax.   use,  an   ash].     The    name    of    the    first    man 

created  by  Odin,  Hcener  and  Loder.     Ask. 
AsYNJA ;  plural  Asynjur.     A  goddess ;  feminine  of  Ass.     Asynje. 
Atla.     One  of  Heimdal's  nine  mothers.     Atla. 
AutJHUMLA  ;  also  written  Au'Shumbla.     [The   etymology  of  this 

word  is   uncertain.     Finn   Magnusson  derives  it  from  au%r. 


VOCABULARY.  441 

void,  and  hum,  darkness,  and  expresses  the  name  by  aer 
nociurnus.]  The  cow  formed  from  the  frozen  vapors  resolved 
into  drops.     She  nourished  the  giant  Ymer.     Audhumbla. 

Aurbo'Sa  [mirr,  wet  clay  or  loam ;  ho'Sa,  to  announce].  Gymer's 
wife  and  Gerd's  mother.     Aurboda. 

AuRGELMiR  [atcrr,  wet  clay  or  loam].  A  giant;  grandfather  of 
Bergelmer ;  called  also  Ymer.     Avrgelmer. 

AusTRi.     A  dwarf  presiding  over  the  east  region.    Austre.    East. 

B 

Baldr  [Anglo-Sax.   haldor,  princeps,  the    best,  foremost].    The 

god    of    the    summer-sunlight.     He   was    son    of    Odin    and 

Frigg ;  slain  by  Hoder,  who  was  instigated  by  Loke.     He  re- 
turns after  Ragnarok.     His  dwelling  is  Breidablik.     Balder. 
Barrey  [Needle-isle].     A  cool  grove  in  which  Gerd  agreed  with 

Skirner  to  meet  Frey.     Ba,rey. 
Baugi.     a  brother  of  Suttung,   for  whom  (Baugi)  Odin  worked 

one  summer  in  order  to  get  his  help  in  obtaining  Suttung's 

mead  of  poetry.     Bauge. 
Beli.     a  giant,  brother  of  Gerd,  slain  by  Frey.     Bele. 
Bergelmir   \herg,   rock].      A  giant ;    son    of    Thrudgelmer    and 

grandson  of  Aurgelmer.     Bergelmer. 
Bestla.     Wife  of  Bur  and  mother  of  Odin.     Bestla. 
Beyla.     Frey's  attendant ;  wife  of  Bygver.     Beyla. 
BiFROST  \hifast,  to  tremble,  rust  (compare  Eng.  rest),  a  space,  a 

way  ;   the  trembling  way,  via  tremida].     The  rainbow.    Bif- 

rost. 
BiLSKiRNiR  \hil,  a  moment ;  skir,  serene,  shining].     The  heavenly 

abode  of  Thor,  from  the  flashing  of  light  in  the  lightning. 

Bilskirner. 
BoLpORN  [Evil  thorn].     A  giant ;  father  of  Bestla,  Odin's  mother. 

Bolthorn. 
Bolverkr  [Working    terrible    things].     An    assumed    name    of 

Odin,  when  he  went  to  get  Suttung's  mead.     Boherk. 
Bo"Sn.    [Compare   Anglo-Sax.  hyden,  dolium.]     One   of  the   three 

vessels  in  which  the  poetical  mead  was  kept.     Hence  poetry 

is  called  the  wave  of  the  ho'^n.     Bodn. 
BoRR  [burr,  a  son  ;  compare  Eng.  born,  Scotch  bairn,  Norse  bar7i,  a 

child].     A  son  of  Bure  and  father  of  Odin,  Vile  and  Ve.     Bor. 


442  VOCABULARY. 

Bragi.  [Compare  Anglo-Sax.  hrego,  princeps.]  The  god  of  poetry. 
A  son  of  Odin.     He  is  the  best  of  skalds.     Brage. 

Brei'Sablik  [Literally  broad-blink,  from  hrev&r,  broad,  and  hlika 
(Germ,  blicken;  Eng.  to  blink),  to  gleam,  twinkle].  Balder's 
dwelling.     Brcidahllk. 

Brisingamen.     Freyja's  necklace  or  ornament.     Brisingamen. 

BuRi.  [This  word  is  generally  explained  as  meaning  the  hearing, 
i.  e.  father ;  but  we  think  that  it  is  the  same  as  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  hyre,  son,  descendant,  offspring.  We  do  not  see  how 
it  can  be  conceived  as  an  active  participle  of  the  verb  hera, 
to  bring  forth.  See  p.  195,  where  we  have  followed  Keyser.] 
The  father  of  Bor.  He  was  produced  by  the  cow's  licking 
the  stones  covered  with  rime.     Bure. 

Byggvir.     Frey's  attendant;'  Beyla's  husband.     Bygver. 

Byleiptr  [The  flame  of  the  dwelling].  The  brother  of  Loke. 
Byleipt. 

D 

Dagr  [Day].     Son  of  Delling.     Dag. 

Dainn.     a  hart  that  gnaws  the  branches  of  Ygdrasil.    Daain. 

Dellingr  [deglinger  {dagr,  day),  dayspring].  The  father  of  Day. 
Delling. 

Dis ;  plural  Disir.  Attendant  spirit  or  guardian  angel.  Any 
female  mythic  being  may  be  called  Dis.     Dis. 

DraupjS'ir  [drjupa;  Eng.  drip;  Germ,  traufen;  Dan.  dryppe]. 
Odin's  ring.  It  was  put  on  Balder's  funeral-pile.  Skirner 
offered  it  to  Gerd.     Draupner. 

Dromi.  One  of  the  fetters  by  which  the  Fenris-wolf  was  fet- 
tered.   Drome. 

DuNEYRR,    )     Harts  that  gnaw  the  branches  of  Ygdrasil.     Dun- 

Durapror.  )  eyr;  DuratJiror. 

DuRiNN.     The  dwarf,  second  in  degree.     Durin. 

DvALiNN.     A  dwarf.     Dvalin. 

Dvergr  [Anglo-Sax.  diceorg;  Eng.  dtmrf;  Germ,  zwerg;  Swed. 
dwerg\  A  dwarf.  In  modern  Icelandic  lore  dwarfs  disap- 
pear, but  remain  in  local  names,  as  Dverga-steinn  (compare 
the  Dwarfie  Stone  in  Scott's  Pirate),  and  in  several  words 
and  phrases.  From  the  belief  that  dwarfs  lived  in  rocks  an 
echo  is  called  dwerg-mdl  (dwarf-talk),  and  dwerg-mdla  means 
to  echo.     The  dwarfs  were  skilled  in  metal-working. 


VOCABULARY.  443 


E 


Edda.  The  word  means  a  great-grandmother.  The  name  is 
usually  applied  to  the  mythological  collection  of  poems  dis- 
covered by  Brynjolf  Sveinsson  in  the  year  1G43.  He,  led  by 
a  fanciful  and  erroneous  suggestion,  gave  to  the  book  which 
he  found  the  name  Ssemundar  Edda,  Edda  of  Ssemund.  This 
is  the  so-called  Elder  Edda.  Then  there  is  the  Younger 
Edda,  a  name  applied  to  a  work  written  by  Snorre  Sturle- 
son,  and  containing  old  mythological  lore  and  the  old  arti- 
ficial rules  for  verse-making.  The  ancients  apj^lied  the  name 
Edda  only  to  this  work  of  Snorre.  The  Elder  Edda  was 
never  so  called.  And  it  is  also  uncertain  whether  Snorre 
himself  knew  his  work  by  the  name  of  Edda.  In  the  Rigs- 
mal  (Lay  of  Rig)  Edda  is  the  progenitrix  of  the  race  of 
thralls. 

Eg15ir.     An  eagle  that  appears  at  Raguarok.     Egder. 

Egill.  The  father  of  Thjalfe ;  a  giant  dwelling  near  the  sea. 
Thor  left  his  goats  with  him  on  his  way  to  the  giant  Hymer. 
E(jil. 

EiKpYRNiR  \eili,  oak,  and  \)yrnir,  a  thorn].  A  hart  that  stands 
over  Odin's  hall  (Valhal).  From  his  antlers  drops  into  the 
abyss  water  from  which  rivers  flow.     EUcthyrner. 

EiNHERi ;  plural  Einherjar.  The  only  {ein)  or  great  champions ; 
the  heroes  who  have  fallen  in  battle  and  been  admitted 
into  Valhal.     Einlierje. 

EiR.  [The  word  means  peace,  clemency.}  An  attendant  of 
Menglod,  and  the  best  of  all  in  the  healing  art.     Mr. 

EiSTLA.     One  of  Heimdal's  nine  mothers.     Eistla. 

Eldhrimnir  \eld,  fire,  and  hrimnir,  the  one  producing  rime]. 
The  kettle  in  which  the  boar  Saehrimner  is  cooked  in  Val- 
hal.    Eldhrimner. 

Eldir.     The  fire-producer;   a  servant  of  MgGV.     Elder. 

^LiVAGAR.  The  ice-waves ;  poisonous  cold  streams  that  flow 
out  of  Niflheim.     Elivagar. 

Embla.  The  first  woman.  The  gods  found  two  lifeless  trees,  the 
ask  (ash)  and  the  embla;  of  the  ash  they  made  man,  of  the 
embla,  woman.  It  is  a  question  what  kind  of  tree  the  embla 
was ;  some  suggest  a  metathesis,  viz.  enila,  from  almr  (elm), 
but  the  compound  emhlu-askr,  in  one  of  Egil's  poems,  seems 


444  VOCABULAEY. 

to  show  that  the  emhla  was  in  some  way  related  to  the  ash. 
Embla. 
Eyrgjapa.    One  of  Heimdal's  nine  mothers.    Eyrgjafa. 

F 

Fapnir.  Son  of  Hreidmar.  He  kills  his  father  to  get  posses- 
sion of  the  Andvareuaut.  He  afterwards  changes  himself 
into  a  dragon  and  guards  the  treasure  on  Gnita-lieath.  He 
is  slain  by  Sigurd,  and  his  heart  is  roasted  and  eaten.    Fafner. 

Falhopnir  [Barrel-hoof,  hollow-hoofj.  One  of  the  horses  of  the 
gods.    Falhofner. 

Farbauti  [Ship-beater,  ship-destroyer].  The  father  of  Loke. 
Farbaute. 

Fenrir  or  Fenrisulpr.  The  monster-wolf.  He  is  the  son  of 
Loke.  He  bites  the  hand  of  Tyr.  The  gods  put  him  in 
chains,  where  he  remains  until  Ragnarok.  In  Ragnarok  he 
gets  loose,  swallows  the  sun  and  conquers  Odin,  but  is 
killed  by  Vidar.     Fenrer  or  Fenris-wolf. 

Fensalir.     The  abode  of  Frigg.     Fcnsal. 

Fjalar.  a  misnomer  for  Skrymer,  in  whose  glove  Thor  took 
shelter.     Fjalar. 

Fjalar.  A  dwarf,  who  slew  Kvaser,  and  composed  from  his 
blood  the  poetic  mead.     Fjalar. 

Fjalar.     A  cock  that  crows  at  Ragnarok.     Fjalar. 

FiMAPENGR  [Jimr,  quick,  nimble].  The  nimble  servant  of  ^ger. 
He  was  slain  by  the  jealous  Loke.     Fimafeng. 

FiMBUL.  [Compare  Germ,  jimnicl,  an  iron  wedge ;  Bohem.  fimol; 
Swed.  fimrnel-stdng,  the  handle  of  a  sledge-hammer ;  in  Icel. 
obsolete,  and  only  used  in  four  or  five  compounds  in  old 
poetry.]     It  means  mighty  great     In  the  mythology  we  have : 

FiMBULPAMBi.    A  mighty  fool.     Fimhulfamhe. 

FiMBULTYR.     The  mighty  god,  great  helper  (Odin).     Fimhultyr. 

FiMBULVETR  [vctr,  winter].  The  great  and  awful  winter  of 
three  years'  duration  preceding  the  end  of  the  world.  Fim- 
bul-icinter. 

FiMBULpUL.     A  heavenly  river  {\>ul,  roarmg.)     FimbuUhvl. 

FiMBULpULR.  The  great  wise  man  (Odin's  High-song,  143).  Fim- 
bulthuler. 

Fjolnir.     a  name  of  Odin.     Fjolner. 


VOCABULAKY.  445 

Fjorgtn.  a  personification  of  the  earth ;  mother  of  Thor. 
Fjorgyn. 

FoLKVANGR  [Anglo-Sax.  folc;  Germ,  volk;  Eng.  folk,  people,  and 
vangr  (Ulfilas,  icaggs),  paradise ;  Anglo-Sax.  wang;  Dan.  vang, 
a  field].     The  folk-field.     Freyja's  dwelling.     Folkvang. 

FORNJOTE.  The  ancient  giant.  He  was  father  of  Mger  or  Hler, 
the  god  of  the  ocean ;  of  Loge,  flame  or  fire,  and  of  Kaare, 
wind.  His  wife  was  Ran.  These  divinities  are  generally 
regarded  as  belonging  to  an  earlier  mythology,  probably 
that  of  the  Fins  or  Celts,  and  we  omitted  them  in  our  work. 
Fornjot. 

FORSETi  [The  fore-sitter,  president,  chairman].  Son  of  Balder 
and  Nanna.  His  dwelling  is  Glitner,  and  his  ofiice  is  peace- 
maker.    Forsete. 

Franangrs-fors.  The  force  or  waterfall  into  which  Loke,  in 
the  likeness  of  a  salmon,  cast  himself,  and  where  the  gods 
caught  him  and  bound  him.     Fraananger-Force. 

Freki.     One  of  Odin's  wolves.     Freke. 

Freyja  [Feminine  of  Freyr].  The  daughter  of  Njord  and  sister 
of  Frey.  She  dwells  in  Folkvang.  Half  the  fallen  in  battle 
belong  to  her.  She  lends  her  feather  disguise  to  Loke.  She 
is  the  goddess  of  love.  Her  husband  is  Oder.  Her  neck- 
lace is  Brisingamen.  She  has  a  boar  with  golden  bristles. 
Freyja. 

Freyr  [Goth,  frauja;  Gr.  y.bpu>q ;  Anglo-Sax.  frea;  Heliand  fro, 
a  lord].  He  is  son  of  Njord,  husband  of  Skade,  slayer  of 
Bele,  and  falls  in  conflict  with  Surt  in  Ragnarok.  Alfheim 
was  given  him  as  a  tooth-gift.  The  ship  Skidbladner  was 
built  for  him.  He  falls  in  love  with  Gerd,  Gymer's  fair 
daughter.    He  gives  his  trusty  sword  to  Skirner.     Frey. 

Frigg.  [Compare  Anglo-Sax.  frigu,  love].  She  is  the  wife  of 
Odin,  and  mother  of  Balder  and  of  other  gods.  She  is  the 
queen  of  the  gods.  She  sits  with  Odin  in  Hlidskjalf.  She 
exacts  an  oath  from  all  things  that  they  shall  not  harm 
Balder.     She  mourns  Balder's  death.     Frigg. 

FtJLLA  [Fullness].  Frigg's  attendant.  She  takes  care  of  Frigg's 
toilette,  clothes  and  slippers.  Nanna  sent  her  a  finger-ring 
from  Helheim.  She  wears  her  hair  flowing  over  her  shoul- 
ders.   FuUa. 


446  VOCABULARY. 

G 

Galar.     One  of  tlie  dwarfs  who  killed  Kvaser.     Fjalar  was  the 

other.     Oalar. 
Gagnra^e.     a  name   assumed   by   Odin  when   he  went  to  visit 

Vafthrudner.     Oagnraad. 
Gangleri.     One  of  Odin's  names  in  Grimner's  Lay.     Oanglere. 
Gangleri.     a  name  assumed  by  King  Gylfe  when  he  came  to 

Asgard.     Oanglere. 
Gar^rofa  [Fence-breaker].     The  goddess  Gnaa  has  a  horse  by 

name   Hofvarpner.     The  sire   of   this   horse  is   Hamskerper, 

and  its  mother  is  GarSrofa.     Gardrofa. 
Garmr.     a  dog  that  barks  at  Ragnarok.     He  is  called  the  largest 

and  best  among  dogs.     Garm. 
Gefjun  or  Gefjon.     A  goddess.     She  is  a  maid,  and  all  those 

who  die  maids  become  her  maid-servants.     She  is  present  at 

^ger's  feast.     Odin  says  she  knows  men's  destinies  as  well 

as  he  does  himself.     Gefjun. 
Geirro'Sr.     a  son  of   King   Hraudung  and  foster-son  of   Odin ; 

he  becomes  king  and  is  visited  by  Odin,  who  calls  himself 

Grimner.     He  is  killed  by  his  own  sword.     There  is  also  a 

giant    by   name    Geirrod,   who    was    once  visited    by   Thor. 

Gcirrod. 
Geirskogtjl.     a  valkyrie.     Geirskognl. 
Geirvimul.     a  heavenly  river.     Geirvimul. 
GerISr.     Daughter  of  Gymer,  a  beautiful  young  giantess  ;  beloved 

by  Frey.     Gcrd. 
Geri  [gerr,  greedy].     One  of  Odin's  wolves.     Gere. 
Gersemi  [Anglo-Sax.  gersuma,  a  costly  thing.]     One  of  Freyja's 

daughters.     Gerseme. 
Gjallarbru    [gjalla,   to    yell,   to   resound;    Anglo-Sax.  giellan]. 

The     bridge    across    the    river    Gjol,    near    Helheim.     The 

bridge  between  the  land  of  the  living  and  the  dead.     GjcU- 

lar-hridge. 
Gjallarhorn.     Heimdal's  horn,  which  he  will  blow  at  Ragnarok. 

Ojnllar  horn. 
GlLLiNG.     Father   of   Suttung,  who   possessed   the  poetic  mead. 

He  was  slain  by  Fjalar  and  Galar.     Oilling. 
GiMLi  [gimill,  Idmill,  Jiimin,  heaven].     The  abode  of  the  right- 
eous after  Ragnarok.     Gimle. 


VOCABULAEY.  447 

Gjalp.     One  of  Heimdal's  nine  mothers.     Gjalp. 

GiNNUNGA-GAP.  [Compare  AngloSax.  gin  or  ginn,  vast,  wide. 
(The  unga  may  be  the  adverbial  ending  added  to  gian,  as  in 
eall-unga,  adv.  from  all,  all.)]  The  great  yawning  gap,  the 
premundane  abyss,  the  chaos  or  formless  void,  in  which 
dwelt  the  supreme  powers  before  the  creation.  In  the 
eleventh  century  the  sea  between  Greenland  and  Vinland 
(America)  was  called  Ginnunga-gap.     Oinungagap. 

Gjoll.  The  one  of  the  rivers  Elivagar  that  flowed  nearest  the 
gate  of  Hel's  abode.     Gjol. 

GiSL,  [Sunbeam].     One  of  the  horses  of  the  gods.     Gisl. 

Gla'Sr  [Clear,  bright].     One  of  the  horses  of  the  gods.     Olad. 

Gla^sheimr  [Home  of  brightness  or  gladness].  Odin's  dwell- 
ing.    Gladsheim. 

Glasir.     a  grove  in  Asgard.     Glaser. 

Gleipnir.  The  last  fetter  with  which  the  wolf  Fenrer  was 
bound.     Gleipner. 

Gler  [The  glassy].     One  of  the  horses  of  the  gods.     Gler. 

Glitnir  [The  glittering].     Forsete's  golden  hall.     Glitner. 

Gna.  She  is  the  messenger  that  Frigg  sends  into  the  various 
worlds  on  her  errands.  She  has  a  horse  called  Hofvarpner, 
that  can  run  through  air  and  water.     Gnaa. 

GNfPAHELLiR.  The  cave  before  which  the  dog  Garm  barks. 
The  Gnipa-cave. 

GNfTAHErSR.  Fafner's  abode,  where  he  kept  the  treasure  called 
Andvarenaut.     Gnita-lienth. 

GoiNN.     A  serpent  under  Ygdrasil.     Goin. 

GoLL.     A  valkyrie.     Gol. 

GoMUL.     A  heavenly  river.     Gomul. 

GoNDUL.    A  valkyrie.     Gondul. 

GoPUL.     A  heavenly  river.     Gopul. 

Grabakr  [Gray -back].  One  of  the  serpents  under  Ygdrasil. 
Gvaabak. 

Gra-S.    a  heavenly  river.     Graad. 

Grafvitnir,     )      Serpents    under   Ygdrasil.     Grafvitner;    Graf. 

Grafvollu^r.  )  Tollud. 

Greip  [AngloSax.  grap ;  Eng.  grip].  One  of  Heimdal's  nine 
giant  mothers.     Greip. 

QrImnir  [Icel.  grima;  Anglo-Sax.  grima ;  Dan.  grime,  a  horse- 
halter].     A  kind  of  hood  or  cowl  covering  the  upper  part  of 


448  VOCABULARY. 

the  face.  Grimner  is  a  name  of  Odin  from  his  traveling 
in  disguise.     Griimier. 

Groa  [Icel.  groa;  Anglo  Sax.  groican  ;  Eng.  grow;  h^X.  crescere, 
crev-i\.  The  giantess  mother  of  Orvandel.  Thor  went  to 
her  to  have  her  charm  the  flint-stone  out  of  his  forehead. 
Oroa. 

GULLPAXI  [Gold-mane].     The  giant  Hrungner's  horse.     Goldfax. 

GuLLiNKAMBi  [Gold-comb],  A  cock  that  crows  at  Ragnarok. 
Oullinkambe  or  Goldcomb. 

GuLLTOPPR  [Gold-top].     Heimdal's  horse.     Goldtop. 

GuLLVEiG  [Gold-drink,  gold-thirst].  A  personification  of  gold. 
She  is  pierced  and  thrice  burnt,  and  yet  lives.     G2dveig. 

GuLLiNBURSTi  [Golden  bristles].  The  name  of  Fray's  hog. 
GuUinburste. 

GUNGNIR  [Dan.  gungre,  to  tremble  violently].  Odin's  spear. 
Gungner. 

GuNKLot? ;  genitive  GunnlaISar  [Icel.  gunnr,  war,  battle ;  Anglo- 
Sax.  gvfS;  Old  High  Germ,  gundia;  and  Icel.  ID'S  {la'^a,  to 
invite),  invitation ;  Anglo-Sax.  gcla'Sian,  to  invite].  One  who 
invites  war.  She  was  daughter  of  the  giant  Suttung,  and  had 
charge  of  the  poetic  mead.     Odin  got  it  from  her.     Gunlad. 

Gylfi.  a  king  of  Svithod,  who  visited  Asgard  under  the  name 
of  Ganglere.  The  first  part  of  the  Younger  Edda  is  called 
Gylfaginuing,  which  means  the  Delusion  of  Gylfe.     Gylfe. 

Gyllir  [Golden].     One  of  the  horses  of  the  gods.     Gyller. 

Gymir.  a  giant;  the  father  of  Gerd,  the  beloved  of  Frey. 
Gymer. 

Gymir.    Another  name  of  the  ocean  divinity  .^ger.     Gymer. 

H 

Hallinski^Ji.  Another  name  of  the  god  Heimdal.  The  pos- 
sessor of  the  leaning  {halla)  way  {skevfi).     Hallinskid. 

Hamskerpir  [Hide-hardener].  A  horse :  the  sire  of  Hofvarpner, 
which  was  Gnaa's  horse.     Hamskerper. 

Har  [Anglo-Sax.  hedh;  Eng.  Jiigh;  Ulfilas  1i.avhs\.  The  High  One, 
applied  to  Odin.     Ilaar. 

Harbar-Sr.  The  name  assumed  by  Odin  in  the  Lay  of  Har- 
bard.     Harhard. 

Hei'Srunr  [Bright-running].  A  goat  that  stands  over  Valhal. 
Heidrun. 


VOCABULARY.  449 

Heimdalr.  The  etymology  lias  not  been  made  out.  He  was 
the  heavenly  watchman  in  the  old  mythology,  answering  to 
St.  Peter  in  the  medieval.  According  to  the  Lay  of  Rig 
(Heimdal),  he  was  the  father  and  founder  of  the  diflerent 
classes  of  men,  nobles,  churls  and  thralls.  He  has  a  horn 
called  Gjallar-horn,  which  he  blows  at  Raguarok.  His  dwell- 
ing is  Himiubjorg.  He  is  the  keeper  of  Bifrost  (the  rain- 
bow).    Nine  giantesses  are  his  mothers.     Heimdal. 

Hel  [Ulfilas  halja,  adrj^;  Anglo-Sax.  and  Eng.  hell;  Heliand  and 
Old  High  Germ,  hellia;   Germ.  HiJlle;   Dan.  at  slaa,  \-lijel,  to 
kill].     The  goddess  of  death,  born  of   Loke  and  Angerboda. 
She  corresponds  to  Proserpina.     Her  habitation  is  Helheim,  « 
under  one  of  the  roots  of  Ygdrasil.     Hel. 

Helblindi.     a  name  of  Odin.     Helblinde. 

Helgrindr.     The  gates  of  Hel.    Helgrind  or  Hclgate. 

Heliieim.     The  abode  of  Hel.     Helheim. 

He:if(V5r,     \    [The   father  of  hosts].      A  name   of  Odin.      Her- 

HerjafcWr  )         father. 

HermO'Sr  [Courage  of  hosts].  Son  of  Odin,  who  gives  him  hel- 
met and  corselet.  He  went  on  Sleipner  to  Hel  to  bring 
Balder  back.     Hermod. 

HiLDisviNi  \liildr  (Anglo-Sax.  Mid)  means  war].  Freyja's  hog. 
Hilde-svine. 

HiMiNBJORG  [himinn,  heaven,  and  bjorg,  help,  defense ;  hence 
heaven  defender].     Heimdal's  dwelling.     Himiribjorg. 

HiMiNBRJOTR  [Heaven-breaker].  One  of  the  giant  Hymer's  oxen, 
Himinhrjoter . 

Hleset.     The  abode  of  J5ger.    Hlesey. 

HLiiSsKJALF  [from  MI'S,  gate,  and  skjdlf,  shelf,  bench].  The  seat 
of  Odin,  whence  he  looked  out  over  all  the  worlds.  Hlid- 
skjnlf. 

Hlin.  One  of  the  attendants  of  Frigg;  but  Frigg  herself  is 
sometimes  called  by  this  name.     Hlin. 

HloISyn.  a  goddess ;  a  name  of  the  earth ;  Thor's  mother. 
Hlodi/n. 

Hloridi  [from  Jiloa;  Anglo-Sax.  Mowan;  Eng.  low^  to  bellow, 
roar,  and  o'ei'^,  thunder].  One  of  the  names  of  Thor;  the 
bellowing  thunderer.     Hloride. 

„  „      I  Names  of  Odin,  Hnikar  and  Hnikuder. 

Hniku^r.  ) 

38 


450  VOCABULARY. 

Hnoss   [Anglo.Sax.  hnossian,  to  hammer].     A  costly  thing ;   the 

name  of  one  of  Freyja's  daughters.     Hnos. 
HODDMiMisHOLT.     Hoduiimer's    holt    or    grove,    where    the    two 

human    beings    Lif    and    Lifthraser   were   preserved   during 

Ragnarok.     Hodmimer's  forest. 
Ho'Sr.     The   slayer   of   Balder.     He   is   blind,   returns   to  life   in 

the  regenerated  world.     The  Cain  of  the  Norse  mythology. 

Hoder. 
HcENiR.     One  of  the  three  creating  gods.     With  Odin  and  Loder 

Hoener  creates  Ask  and  Embla,  the  first  human  pair.   Hoiner. 
HoFVARPNiR  [Hoof-thrower].     Gnaa's  horse.     His  father  is  Ham- 
*  skerper  and  mother  Gardrofa.     Hofvarpncr. 

Hr^svelgr  [Corpse-swallower].     A  giant  in  an  eagle's  plumage, 

who  produces  the  wind.     Hrasvelger. 
Hrau15ungr.     Geirrod's  father.     Hraudung. 

HREit?>iARR.     Father  of  Regin  and  Fafner.     He  exacts  the  blood- 
fine  from  the  gods  for  slaying  Otter.     He  is  slain  by  Fafner. 

Hreidmar. 
Hrimpaxi  [Rime  mane].    The  horse  of  Night.    Rimefax. 
Hrimpursar    [Anglo-Sax.   hrim;    Eug.   rime,   hoar-frost].     Rime- 
giants   or  frost-giants,  who   dwell    under   one   of   Ygdrasil's 

roots.     Oiants. 
HrO'Svitnir.     a  wolf;  father  of  the  wolf  Hate.     Erodvitner. 
Hroptr.     One  of  Odin's  names.     Hropt. 
Hrungnir.     a  giant ;  friend  of  Hymer.     Thor  fought  with  him 

and  slew  him.     Hrungner. 
Hringiiorni.     The  ship  upon  which  Raider's  body  was  burned. 

Hringhorn. 
HROsspJOPR  [Horse-thief].     A  giant.     Erostlijof. 
HuGiNN  [Mind].     One  of  Odin's  ravens.     Hugin. 
Hvergelmir    [The    old   kettle].     The   spring   in   the  middle   of 

Niflheim,  whence  flowed  the  rivers  Elivagar.     The  Northern 

Tartaros.    Hvergelmer. 
Hymir.     a  giant  with  whom  Thor  went  fishing  when  he  caught 

the    Midgard-serpeut.     His   wife   was    the    mother    of    Tyr. 

Tyr  and  Thor  went   to   him   to  procure  a  kettle  for  .^ger. 

Hymer. 
Hyndla.     a  vala  visited  by  Freyja,  who  comes  to  her  to  learn 

the  genealogy  of  her  favorite  Ottar.    Hyndla. 


VOCABULARY.  451 

I 

Kavollr.  a  plain  where  the  gods  first  assemble,  where  they 
establish  their  heavenly  abodes,  and  where  they  assemble 
again  after  Ragnarok.     The  plains  of  Ida.     Idavokl. 

KuNN.  Daughter  of  the  dwarf  Ivald  ;  she  was  wife  of  Brage, 
and  the  goddess  of  early  spring.  She  possesses  rejuvenating 
apples  of  which  the  gods  partake.     Idun. 

IpiNG.     A  river  which  divides  the  giants  from  the  gods.    Ifing. 

IwrS.     One  of  Heimdal's  nine  giant  mothers.     Imd. 

Ime.    a  son  of  the  giant  Vafthrudner.     Im. 

Ingunar-Freyr.     One  of  the  names  of  Frey.     Ingun's  Frey. 

Innsteinn.  The  father  of  Ottar  Heimske  ;  the  favorite  of  Freyja. 
Instcin. 

fvALDi.  A  dwarf.  His  sons  construct  the  ship  Skidbladner. 
Ivald. 

J 

Jafnhar  [Equally  high].     A  name  of  Odin.   Evenliigh.  Jafnhaar. 

Jalkr.     a  name  of  Odin  (Jack  the  Giant-killer?).     Jalk. 

Jaknsaxa  [Iron-chopper].  One  of  Heimdal's  nine  giant  mothers. 
Jarnsaxa. 

JarnvfSr  [Iron-wood].  A  wood  east  of  Midgard,  peopled  by 
giantesses  called  Jarnvids.  This  wood  had  iron  leaves. 
Jarnvid. 

Jarnvi^iur.     The  giantesses  in  the  Iron-wood.     Jarnvids. 

JoRD.     Wife  of  Odin  and  mother  of  Thor.     Earth.     Jord. 

JoTUNN  [Anglo-Sax.  eoteri].  A  giant.  The  giants  were  the  earli- 
est created  beings.  The  gods  question  them  in  regard  to 
Balder.  Thor  frequently  contends  with  them.  Famous  giants 
are :  Ymer,  Hymer,  Hrungner,  Orvandel,  Gymer,  Skrymer, 
Vafthrudner  and  Thjasse.     Oiant. 

Jotunheimar  (plural).  The  Utgaard ;  the  home  of  the  giants 
in  the  outermost  parts  of  the  earth.     Jotunlieim. 

K 

Kerlaugar  (plural).     Two  rivers  which  Thor  every  day  must 

cross.     Kerlaug. 
Kormt.     Another  river  which  Thor  every  day  must  pass.  Kormt. 
KvASiR.     The  hostage  given  by  the  vans  to  the  asas.     His  blood, 

when  slain,  was  the  poetical  mead  kept  by  Suttung.    Kvaser. 


4:52  VOCABULARY. 


L^IJlNGR.  One  of  the  fetters  witli  which  the  Fenris-wolf  was 
bound.     Lading. 

L^ra'Sr  [Furnishing  protection].     A  tree  near  Valhal.     LcRrad. 

Landvi'Si.  [A  mountain  range  overgrown  with  trees  is  vv8i.] 
Vidar's  abode.     The  primeval  forests.     Landvide. 

Laufey  [Leafy  island].     Loke's  mother.     Laiifcy. 

Leif]?uasir,  )     The  two  persons  preserved  in  Hodmimer's  grove 

Lip.  )        during    Surfs   conflagration   in    Ragnarok ;  the 

last  beings  in  the  old  and  the  first  in  the  new  world.  Lif 
and  Lifthraser. 

Lettfeti  [Light-foot].     One  of  the  horses  of  the  gods.    Lightfoot. 

LiTR.     A  dwarf  that  Thor  kicked  into  Balder's  funeral  pile.  Liter. 

LoDDFAFNiR.    A  protege  of  Odin.     Lodfafner. 

LotSuRR  [Compare  Germ,  lodern,  to  flame].  One  of  the  three 
gods  (Odin,  Hoener  and  Loder)  who  create  Ask  and  Embla, 
the  first  man  and  woman.     He  is  identical  with  Loke.    Loder. 

LOKi  [Icel.  luka,  to  end,  finish ;  Loke  is  the  end  and  consum- 
mation of  divinity].  The  evil  giant-god  of  the  Norse 
mythology.  He  steers  the  ship  Naglfar  in  Ragnarok.  He 
borrows  Frej'ja's  feather-garb  and  accompanies  Thor  to  the 
giant  Thrym,  who  has  stolen  Thor's  hammer.  He  is  the 
father  of  Sleipner;  but  also  of  the  Midgaard  serpent,  of  the 
Fenris-wolf  and  of  Hel.  He  causes  Balder's  death,  abuses 
the  gods  in  ^Eger's  feast,  but  is  captured  in  Fraananger- 
force  and  is  bound  by  the  gods.     Loke. 

LOPTR  [The  aerial].     Another  name  of  Loke.     Loptcr. 

M 

Magni  [megin,  might,  strength].    A  son  of  Thor.    Magne. 
Mani  [Ulfilas  mena  ;  Anglo-Sax.  raona ;  Eng.  mooii\.     Brother  of 

Sol  (the  sun,  feminine),  and  both  were  children  of  the  giant 

Mundilfare.     Moon  or  Maane. 
Mardoll  or  Marjdoll.     One  of  the  names  of  Freyja.    Mardallar 

grdtr  (the  tears  of  Mardal),  gold.     Mardal. 
Managarmr    [Moon-swallower].     A    wolf    of     Loke's    offspring. 

He  devours  the  moon.     Maanegarm  or  Moongarm. 
Mannheimar  (plural)  [Homes  of  man].    Our  earth.    Manheim. 
Meili.    a  son  of  Odin.    Meile. 


VOCABULARY.  453 

Mi^GAK^.  [In  Cumberland,  England,  are  three  farms :  High- 
garth,  Middle-garth,  Low-garth^  The  mid-yai"d,  middle-town, 
that  is,  the  eartli,  is  a  mythological  word  common  to  all  the 
ancient  Teutonic  languages.  Ulfilas  renders  the  Gr.  oixouiii'^fj 
by  midjungards ;  Heliand  calls  the  earth  middil-gard; 
the  Anglo-Saxon  homilies,  instead  of  earth,  say  middan- 
geard  {meddhrt,  Jamieson),  and  use  the  word  as  an  appella- 
tive ;  but  the  Icelandic  Edda  alone  has  preserved  the  true 
mythical  bearing  of  this  old  Teutonic  word.  The  earth 
(Midgard),  the  abode  of  men,  is  seated  in  the  middle  of  the 
universe,  bordered  by  mountains  and  surrounded  by  the  great 
sea  {Hthaf);  on  the  other  side  of  this  sea  is  the  Utgard 
(out-yard),  the  abode  of  the  giants ;  the  Midgard  is 
defended  by  the  yard  or  burgh  Asgard  (the  burgh  of  the 
gods)  lying  in  the  middle  (the  heaven  being  conceived  as 
rising  above  the  earth).  Thus  the  earth  and  mankind  are 
represented  as  a  stronghold  besieged  by  the  powers  of  evil 
from  without,  defended  by  the  gods  from  above  and  from 
within.     Midgard. 

Mi'SgarSsormr  [The  serpent  of  Midgaard].  The  world-serpent 
hidden  in  the  ocean,  whose  coils  gird  around  the  whole  Mid- 
gard. Thor  once  fishes  for  him,  and  gets  him  on  his  hook. 
In  Ragnarok  Thor  slays  him,  but  falls  himself  poisoned  by 
his  breath.    Midgard-serpent. 

MimamefSu.  a  mythic  tree ;  no  doubt  the  same  as  Ygdrasil, 
It  derives  its  name  from  Mimer,  and  means  Mimer's  tree. 
Mimameider. 

MiMiR.  The  name  of  the  wise  giant  keeper  of  the  holy  well 
Mimis-brunnr,  the  burn  (bourn,  brun)  of  Mimer,  the  well  of 
wisdom,  in  which  Odin  pawned  his  eye  for  wisdom ;  a  myth 
which  is  explained  as  symbolical  of  the  heavenly  vault  with 
its  single  eye,  the  sun,  setting  in  the  sea.  Is  the  likeness  of 
the  word  to  the  Latin  memor  only  accidental?  The  true 
etymology  of  Mimir  is  not  known.     Mimer. 

Mjolniu.  [The  derivation  from  mala  or  mola  (to  crush)  is, 
though  probable,  not  certain.  The  word  may  be  akin  to 
Goth,  milhma,  cloud ;  Swed.  rnMii;  Dan.  mulm;  Norse  molnas 
(Ivar  Aasen),  to  grow  dark  from  bands  of  clouds  arising.] 
Thor's  formidable  hammer.  After  Ragnarok,  it  is  possessed 
by  his  scms  Mode  and  Magne.     Mjolner. 


454  VOCABULARY. 

MiSTiLTEiNN  [Old  High  Germ,  mistil;  Germ,  mistel;  Anglo-Sax. 
mistel  or  niistel-ta;  Eng.  iuistletoe].  The  mistletoe  or  mistle- 
twig,  tlie  fatal  twig  by  which  Balder,  the  white  suii-god,  was 
slain.  After  the  death  of  Balder,  Ragnarok  set  in.  Balder's 
death  was  also  symbolical  of  the  victory  of  darkness  over 
light,  which  comes  every  year  at  midwinter.  The  mistletoe 
in  English  households  at  Christmas  time  is  no  doubt  a  relic 
of  a  rite  lost  in  the  remotest  heathendom,  for  the  fight  of 
light  and  darkness  at  midwinter  was  a  foreshadowing  of  the 
final  overthrow  in  Ragnarok.  The  legend  and  the  word  are 
common  to  all  Teutonic  peoples  of  all  ages.     Mistletoe. 

Motii  [Courage].     A  son  of  Thor.     Mode. 

Mo'SsoGNiR.     The  dwarf  highest  in  degree  or  rank.    Modsogner. 

MoiNN.     A  serpent  under  Ygdrasil.     Main. 

MuNDiLFARi.     Father  of  the  sun  and  moon.    Mundilfare. 

MuNiNN  [Memory].     One  of  Odin's  ravens.     Munin. 

MusPELL.  The  name  of  an  abode  of  fire.  It  is  peopled  by 
Muspells  ly'Sir  (the  men  of  Muspel),  a  host  of  fiends,  who  are 
to  appear  at  Ragnarok  and  destroy  the  world  by  fire.  Mus- 
pel.    (See  next  word.) 

MusPELLSiiEiMR.  The  abode  of  Muspel.  This  interesting  word 
(Mdspell)  was  not  confined  to  the  Norse  mythology,  but 
appears  twice  in  the  old  Saxon  poem  Heliand,  thus :  (1) 
mutspelli  eumit  on  thiustra  naht,  also  tliiof  ferit  {mutspelli 
comes  in  dusky  night,  as  a  thief  fares, — that  is.  But  the  day 
of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief  in  the  night),  and  (3) 
mutspellis  megin  ohar  man  ferit  (the  main  of  mvtspelli  fares 
over  men).  A  third  instance  is  an  Old  High  German  poem 
on  the  Last  Day,  thus  :  dur  ni  mac  denne  mac  andrcmo  lielfan 
vora  demo  muspille  (there  no  man  can  help  another  against 
the  muspel-doom).  In  these  instances  muspel  stands  for  the 
day  of  judgment,  the  last  day,  and  answers  to  Ragnarok  of 
the  Norse  mythology.  The  etymology  is  doubtful,  for  spell 
may  be  the  weird,  doom,  Lat.  fatum;  or  it  may  be  spoil, 
destruction.  The  former  part,  mus  or  muod,  is  more  difficult 
to  explain.  The  Icelandic  mus  is  an  assimilated  form.  Mua- 
pelheim. 

MoKKTjPvKALFi  {mukJcr  means  a  dense  cloud].  A  clay  giant  in 
the  myth  of  Thor  and  Hrungner.     Mokkerkalfe. 


VOCABULARY.  455 


N 


Naglfar  [Nail-ship].  A  mythical  ship  made  of  nail-parings.  It 
appears  in  Kagnarok.     Nuglfar.     Nailship. 

Nal  [Needle].     Mother  of  Loke.     Naal. 

Nanna.  Daughter  of  Nep  (bud) ;  mother  of  Forsete  and  wife  of 
Balder.     She  dies  of  grief  at  the  death  of  Balder.     Nanna. 

^ARi  or  Narfi.  Son  of  Loke.  Loke  was  bound  by  the  intes- 
tines of  Nare.     Nare  or  Narfe. 

Nastrond  [The  shore  of  corpses].  A  place  of  punishment  for  the 
wicked  after  Ragnarok.     Naastrand. 

NitiAFJOLL.  The  Nida-mountains  toward  the  north,  where  there 
is  after  Ragnarok  a  golden  hall  for  the  race  of  Sindre  (the 
dwarfs).     Nidafcll. 

Ni-Shoggr.  a  serpent  of  the  nether  world,  that  tears  the  car- 
cases of  the  dead.     He  also  lacerates  Ygdrasil.     Nidhiig. 

NiFLHEiMR  [nifl;  Old  High  Germ,  nibul ;  Germ,  nebel ;  Lat. 
nebula;  Gr.  vtcpilrj,  mist,  fog.]  The  world  of  fog  or  mist; 
the  nethermost  of  the  rime  worlds.  The  place  of  punish- 
ment (Hades).  It  was  visited  by  Odin  when  he  went  to 
inquire  after  the  fate  of  Balder.     Niflheim. 

Njor^r.  a  van,  vanagod.  He  was  husband  of  Skade,  and 
father  of  Frey  and  Freyja.     He  dwells  in  Noatun.     Njord. 

NoATUN  [Place  of  ships].  Njord's  dwelling ;  Njord  being  a 
divinity  of  the  water  or  sea.     Noatun. 

Nor-Sri  [North].  A  dwarf  presiding  over  the  northern  regions. 
Nordre  or  North. 

NoTT.     Night ;  daughter  of  Norve.     Night. 

IJORN;  plural  NoRNiR.  The  weird  sisters;  the  three  heavenly 
norns  (parcas,  fates)  Urd,  Verdande,  and  Skuld  (Past,  Present, 
and  Future);  they  dwelt  at  the  fountain  of  Urd,  and  ruled 
the  fate  of  the  world.  Three  norns  were  also  present  at 
the  birth  of  every  man  and  cast  the  weird  of  his  life.     Norn. 

0 

^•SiNN  [Anglo-Sax.  Wodan ;  Old  High  Germ.  Wodan].  Son  of 
Bor  and  Bestla.  He  is  the  chief  of  the  gods.  With  Vile  and 
Ve  he  parcels  out  Ymer.  With  Hoener  and  Loder  he  creates 
Ask  and  Embla.  He  is  the  fountain-head  of  wisdom,  the 
founder   of   culture,   writing   and    poetry,   the   progenitor  of 


450  VOCABULARY. 

kings,  the  lord  of  battle  and  victory.  He  quaffs  witli  Saga 
in  Sokvabek.  He  has  two  ravens,  two  wolves  and  a  spear. 
His  throne  is  Hlidskjalf,  from  where  he  looks  out  over  all 
the  worlds.  In  Ragnarok  he  is  devoured  by  the  Fenris- 
wolf.     Odin. 

(5'Sr.     Freyja's  husband.     Oder. 

OISrcerir  [The  spirit-mover].  One  of  the  vessels  in  which  the 
blood  of  Kvaser,  that  is,  the  poetic  mead,  was  kept.  The 
inspiring  nectar.     Odrcerer. 

Ofnir.     a  serpent  under  Ygdrasil.     Ofner. 

Okolnir  [Not  cool].  After  Ragnarok  the  giants  have  a  hall 
{ale-haU)  called  Brimer,  at  Okolner. 

OKC-fioRR  [Icel.  aka;  Lat.  agere;  Gr.  ayeiv  (compare  English  yoke), 
to  drive,  to  ride].     A  name  of  Thor  as  a  charioteer.   Akethor. 

OsKi  [Wish].     A  name  of  Odin.     Oske.     Wish. 

Otr  [Otter].  A  son  of  Hreidmar  ;  in  the  form  of  an  otter  killed 
by  Loke.     Oter. 

(3ttarr  or  Ottarr  Heimski  [Stupid].  A  son  of  Instein,  a  pro- 
tege of  Freyja.  He  has  a  contest  with  Angantyr.  Hyndla 
gives  him  a  cup  of  remembrance.     Ottar. 

R 

Ragnarok  [ragna,  from  regin,  god ;  rvk  may  be  Old  High  Germ. 
raliha,  sentence,  judgment,  akin  to  rekja;  rok,  from  rekja,  is 
the  whole  development  from  creation  to  dissolution,  and 
would,  in  this  word,  denote  the  dissolution,  doomsday,  of  the 
gods ;  or  it  may  be  from  rokr  {reykkr,  smoke),  twilight,  and 
then  the  word  means  the  twilight  of  the  gods.]  The  last 
day ;  the  dissolution  of  the  gods  and  the  world.     Ragnarok. 

Ran  [Rob].     The  goddess  of  the  sea;  wife  of  Mgex.     Ran. 

Ratatoskr.  a  squirrel  that  runs  up  and  down  the  branches  of 
Ygdrasil.     Ratatosk. 

Rati.     An  auger  used  by  Odin  in  obtaining  the  poetic  mead.  Rate. 

Reginn.     Son  of  Hreidmar ;  brother  of  Fafner  arid  Otter.     Regin. 

RiNDR  [Eng.  rind,  crust].  A  personification  of  the  hard  frozen 
earth.  Mother  of  Vale.  The  loves  of  Odin  and  Rind  re- 
semble those  of  Zeus  and  Europa  in  Greek  legends.     Rind. 

Roskva.  The  name  of  the  maiden  follower  of  Thor.  She  sym- 
bolizes the  ripe  fields  of  harvest.     Roskva. 


VOCABULARY.  457 

S 

S^HRiMNiR  [smr,  sea ;  hrimnir,  rime-producer].    The  name  of  the 

boar  on   which   the  gods    and    heroes   in   Valhal   constantly 

feed.     Sa'hrimner. 
Saga  [History].    The  goddess  of  history.    She  dwells  in  Sokvabek. 

Saga. 
Sessrumnir  [Seat-roomy].  Freyja's  large-seated  palace.  Sesrumner. 
Si'Shottr  [Long-hood].     One  of  Odin's  names,  from  his  traveling 

in  disguise  with  a  large  hat  on  his  head  hanging  down  over 

his  face.     Sidhat. 
Si^SKEGGR   [Long-beard].     One   of   Brage's   names.     It   is   also   a 

name  of  Odin  in  the  lay  of  Grimner.     Sidskeg. 
Sip.     The  wife  of  Thor  and  mother  of  Uller.    [Ulfilas  sibja;  Anglo- 
Sax,  sib;  Eng.  gos-«^p,  god-sib;  Heliand  sihhia;  Old  High  Germ. 

sibba;    Germ,   sippe.      The   word   denotes   affinity.]      Sif,  the 

golden-haired  goddess,  wife  of  Thor,  betokens  mother  earth 

with  her  bright  green  grass.      She  was  the  goddess  of  the 

sanctity  of  the  family  and  wedlock,  and  hence  her  name.    Sif. 
SiGFA^iR  [Father  of  victory].     A  name  of  Odin.     Sigfather. 
SiGYN.     Loke's  wife.      She  holds  a  basin  to  prevent  the  venom 

from  dropping  into  Loke's  face.     Sigyn. 
SiLFRiNTOPPR    [Silver-tuft].      One   of    the   horses   of    the    gods. 

Silvertop. 
SiNDRi.     One  of  the  most  famous  dwarfs.     Sindre. 
SiNiR  [Sinew].     One  of  the  horses  of  the  gods.     Siner. 
Sjofn.     One  of   the   goddesses.     She  delights   in   turning  men's 

hearts  to  love.     Sjofn. 
Ska15i  \scathe,  harm,  damage].     A  giantess  ;  daughter  of  Thjasse 

and  the  wife  of  Njord.     She  dwells  in  Thrymheim.     Hangs  a 

venom  serpent  over  Loke's  face.     Skade. 
SKErSBRiMiR    [Race-runner].      One   of   the    horses   of  the   gods. 

Skeidhrimer. 
Ski^bla'Snir.     The  name  of  the  famous  ship  of  the  god  Frey. 

Skidbladner. 
Skinfaxi  [Shining-mane].     The  horse  of  Day.     Ski? fax. 
Skirnir  [The  bright  one].     Frey's  messenger.     Skirner. 
Skrymir.     The  name  of  a  giant ;  the  name  assumed  by  Utgard- 

Loke.     Skrymer. 
Skuld  [Shall].     The  norn  of  the  future.     Skuld, 


458  VOCABULARY. 

Skogul.     a  Valkyrie.     Skogul. 

Sleipnir  [The  slipper].     The  name  of  Odin's  eight-footed  steed. 

He  is  begotten  by  Loke  with  Svadilfare.     Sleipner. 
Snotra  [Neat].     The  name  of  one  of  the  goddesses.     Snotra. 
SoKKMiMiR  [Mimer  of  the  deep].     A  giant  slain  by  Odin.     Sok- 

mimer. 
SoKKVABEKKR.     A    mansion  where    Odin    and    Saga    quaif   from 

golden  beakers.     Sokvahek. 
Sol  [Sun].     Daughter  of  Mundilfare.     She  drives  the  horses  that 

draw  the  car  of  the  sun.     Sol. 
SONR.     One  of  the  vessels  containing  the  jioetic  mead.     Son. 
SuDRi  [South].     A  dwarf  presiding  over  the  south  region.    Sudre. 

South. 
SuRTR.     A  fire-giant  in  Ragnarok  ;  contends  with  the  gods  on  the 

plain  of  Vigrid ;  guards  Muspelheim.     Surt. 
SuTTUNGR.     The  giant  possessor  of  the  poetic  mead.     Suttung. 
SvA^iLFARi.     A  horse ;  the  sire  of  Sleipner.     Svadilfare. 
SvAFNiR.     A  serpent  under  Ygdrasil.     Svafne?: 
SvALiNN  [Cooler].     The  shield  placed  before  the  sun.     Svalin. 
SvasuISr  [Delightful].     The  name  of  a  giant ;   the  father  of  the 

sun.     Svasud. 
Syn.     a  minor  goddess.     Si/n. 

T 

Tyr  ;  genitive  Tts,  dative  and  accusative  Ty.  [Compare  Icel. 
tivi,  god ;  Twisco  ( Tivisco)  in  Tacitus'  Germania.  For  the 
identity  of  this  word  with  Sanscrit  dyaus,  divas,  heaven ;  Gr. 
Ztuq  (J:«?)  ;  Lat.  divus,  see  Max  Miiller's  Lectures  on  the 
Science  of  Language,  2d  series,  p.  425.]  Properly  the  generic 
name  of  the  highest  divinity,  and  remains  in  many  com- 
pounds. In  the  mythology  he  is  the  one-armed  god  of  war. 
The  Fenris-wolf  bit  one  hand  off  him.  He  goes  with  Tlior 
to  Hymer  to  borrow  a  kettle  for  Mgev.  He  is  son  of  Odin 
by  a  giantess.     Tyr. 

V    (TH). 

pJALFi.  The  name  of  the  servant  and  follower  of  Thor.  The 
word  properly  means  a  delver,  digger  (Germ,  delber,  delben, 
to  dig).  The  names  Thjalfe  and  Roskva  indicate  that  Thor 
was  the  friend  of  the  farmers  and  the  god  of  agriculture. 
Thjalfe. 


VOCABULARY.  459 

pJAZi  [pJASSi].  A  giant ;  the  father  of  Njord's  wife,  Skade. 
His  dwelling  was  Thrymheim ;  he  was  slain  by  Thor. 
Thjasse. 

JjoRR.  [Anglo-Sax.  ))unor;  Eng.  thunder;  North  Eng.  thunner; 
Dutch  doncler;  Old  High  Germ.  doncCr;  Germ,  donner;  Heli- 
and  thunar;  Danish  tor,  in  tor-den  (compare  Lat.  tono  and 
tonitrus.)  The  word  'purr  is  therefore  formed  by  absorption 
of  the  middle  n,  and  contraction  of  an  old  dissyllabic  ];>onor 
into  one  syllable,  and  is  a  purely  Scandinavian  form  ;  hence 
in  Anglo-Saxon  charters  or  diplomas  it  is  a  sure  sign  of 
forgery  when  names  compounded  with  \)tir-  appear  in  deeds 
pretending  to  be  of  a  time  earlier  than  the  Danish  invasion 
in  the  ninth  century ;  although  in  later  times  they  abound. 
The  English  Tliursday  is  a  later  form,  in  which  the  pho- 
netic rule  of  the  Scandinavian  tongue  has  been  followed ; 
but  perhaps  it  is  a  North  English  form].  The  god  of 
thunder,  keeper  of  the  hammer,  the  ever-fighting  slayer  of 
trolls  and  destroyer  of  evil  spirits,  the  friend  of  mankind, 
the  defender  of  the  earth,  the  heavens  and  the  gods ;  for 
without  Thor  and  his  hammer  the  earth  would  become  the 
helpless  prey  of  the  giants.  He  was  the  consecrator,  the 
hammer  being  the  cross  or  holy  sign  of  the  ancient  heathen, 
hence  the  expressive  phrase  on  a  heathen  Danish  runic 
stone :  \>urr  mgi  \>assi  runar  (Thor  consecrate  these  runes !) 
Thor  was  the  son  of  Odin  and  Fjorgyn  (mother  earth) ;  he 
was  blunt,  hot-tempered,  without  fraud  or  guile,  of  few 
words  and  ready  stroke  —  such  was  Thor,  the  favoi'ite  deity 
of  our  forefathers.  The  finest  legends  of  the  Younger 
Edda  and  the  best  lays  of  the  Elder  Edda  refer  to  Thor. 
His  hall  is  Bilskirner.  He  slays  Thjasse,  Thrym,  Hrungner, 
and  other  giants.  In  Ragnarok  he  slays  the  Midgard-ser- 
pent,  but  falls  after  retreating  nine  paces,  poisoned  by  the 
serpent's  breath.     Thor. 

pRrSi  [Third].  ■  A  name  of  Odin  in  Gylfaginning.     Thride. 

pRU"SGELMiR.    The  giant  father  of  Bergelmer.     Thrudgelmer. 

,„       '  [    Thor's  abode.     Thrudheim ;  Thrudvavg. 

pRUtSVANGR.        ! 

pRUlSR.     The  name  of  a  goddess ;  the  daughter  of  Thor  and  Sif. 

Thrud. 
pRYMHEiMR.     Thjasse's  and  Skade's  dwelling.     Thrymheim. 


460  VOCABULARY. 

f)RYMR.     The    giant   who   stole    Thor's    hammer  and   demanded 

Freyja  for  it.     Thrym. 
pOKK.     The  name  of  a  giantess  (supposed  to  have  been  Loke  in 

disguise)  in  the  myth  of  Balder.     She  would  not  weep  for 

his  death.     Thok. 

u 

TJlfrun.     One  of  Heimdal's  nine  giant  mothers.      Ulfrun. 
Ullr.     The  son  of  Sif  and  stepson  of  Thor.     His  father  is  not 

named.     He  dwells  in  Ydaler.     Viler. 
URt)ARBRUNNR.     The   fountain    of    the    norn    Urd.     The   Urdar- 

fountain.     The  weird  sjDring. 
Ur'Sr   [Anglo-Sax.   wyrd;   Eng.  weird;   Heliand  iDurtli].     One   of 

the  three  norns.     The  norn  of  the  past,  that  which  has  been. 

Urd. 
TJ^tgar-Sar  [The  out-yard].     The  abode  of  the  giant  Utgard-Loke. 

Utgard. 
tJTGARSA-LoKi.     The  giant  of  Utgard  visited  by  Thor.    He  calls 

himself  Skrymer.     Utgard-Loke. 

V 

VAFpRU^NiR.     A  giant  visited  by  Odin.     They  try  each  other  in 

questions  and  answers.     The  giant   is  defeated  and  forfeits 

his  life.      Vafthrudner. 
Valaskjalp.     One  of  Odin's  dwellings.      Valaskjalf. 
ValpoISr  [Father  of  the  slain].     A  name  of  Odin.      Valfather. 
Valgrind.     a  gate  of  Valhal.      Valgrind. 
Valiioll  [The  hall  of  the  slain.     Icel.  valr;  Anglo-Sax.  wal,  the 

slain].     The  hall  to  which  Odin  invited  those  slain  in  battle. 

Valhal. 
Valkyr  J  a   [The   chooser   of  the   slain].     A   troop   of  goddesses, 

handmaidens  of   Odin.     They  serve  in  Valhal,  and  are  sent 

on  Odin's  errands.      Valkyrie. 
Vali.     Brother  of    Balder.     Slays   Hoder   when   only   one   night 

old.     Rules  with  Vidar  after  Ragnarok.      Vale. 
VALr.     A  son  of  Loke.      Vale.  — 

Valtamr.     a  fictitious  name  of  Odin's  father.     Valtam. 
Ve.     a  brother  of  Odin  (Odin,  Vile  and  Ve).      Ve. 
Vegtamr.     a  name  assumed  by  Odin.      Vegtam. 
Vanaheimar.     The  abode  of  the  vans.     Vanaheim. 


VOCABULARY.  461 

Vanr;  plural  Vanik.  Those  deities  whose  abode  was  in  Vana- 
heim,  in  contradistinction  to  the  asas,  who  dwell  in  Asgard : 
Njord,  Frey  and  Freyja.  The  vans  waged  war  with  the  asas, 
but  were  afterwards,  by  virtue  of  a  treaty,  combined  and 
made  one  with  them.     The  vans  were  deities  of  the  sea.    Van. 

Veorr  [Defender].     A  name  of  Thor.      Veoi\ 

Ver'Sandi  [from  ver'Sa,  to  become ;  Germ,  werden].  The  norn  of 
the  present,  of  that  which  is. 

Vestri.     The  dwarf  presiding  over  the  west  region.  Vestre.  West. 

VrSARR.  Son  of  Odin  and  the  giantess  Grid.  He  dwells  in 
Landvide.  He  slays  the  Fenris-wolf  in  Ragnarok.  Rules 
with  Vale  after  Ragnarok.      Vidar. 

ViGRitSR  [Icel.  vig;  Ulfilas  wialijo,  iJ-oyjj,  a  fight,  a  battle].  The 
field  of  battle  where  the  gods  and  the  sons  of  Surt  meet  in 
Ragnarok.     Vigrid. 

ViLi.  Brother  of  Odin  and  Ve.  These  three  sons  of  Bor  and 
Bestla  construct  the  world  out  of  Ymer's  body.      Vile. 

ViMUR.     A  river  that  Thor  crosses.      Vimer. 

ViNDSVALR  [Wind-cool].     The  father  of  winter.     Vindsval. 

ViNDHEiMR  [Wind-home].  The  place  that  the  sons  of  Balder 
and  Hoder  are  to  inhabit  after  Ragnarok.  Vindheim.  Wind- 
home. 

ViN-GOLF  [The  mansion  of  bliss].  The  palace  of  the  asynjes. 
Vingolf. 

ViNGfJORR.     A  name  of  Thor.     Vingtlior. 

VoR.     The  goddess  of  betrothals  and  marriages.      Vor. 

Y 

Ydalir.     Uller's  dwelling.     Tdaler. 

Tggr.     A  name  of  Odin.      Ygg. 

Yggdrasill  [The  bearer  of  Ygg  (Odin)].     The  world-embracing 

ash  tree.     The  whole  world  is  symbolized  by  this  tree.      Tg- 

drasil. 
Ymir.     The  huge  giant  in  the  cosmogony,  out   of   whose   body 

Odin,  Vile  and  Ve  created  the  world.     The  progenitor  of  the 

giants.    He  was  formed  out  of  frost  and  fire  in  Ginungagap. 

Tmer. 


ITvIDEX. 


Aachen,  92. 

Aage,  397. 

Aarvak,  159,  177, 178,  259. 

Acts  of  the  Apostles,  25. 

Adam,  82,  390,  436. 

Adelsten,  Hakon,  110. 

Adonis,  53. 

Mgei,  39,  40,  98,  110,  123,  247, 

274,    322,   323,   327,    337,    338, 

343-349,  372,  377,  381,  397-399. 
^schylus,  78. 
Afternoon,  180. 
Agder,  363. 
Agnar,  122, 156. 
Ahriman,  81. 
Alexander,  88,  96. 
Ale,  382. 

Alfheim,  186,  348. 
Allfather,  49,  182,  193,  210,  434. 
Alsvid,  159,  177,  178. 
Alsvin,  259. 
Alvis,  124. 
America,  American,  etc.,  34,  52, 

59.  74,  92,  94,  96,  113,  128,  208, 

308,  309,  401. 
Amsvartner,  384. 
Andunson  (Thorgeir),  202. 
Andhrimner,  263,  264. 
Andvare,  344,  376,  377,  381. 
Angantyr,  365,  366. 
Angerboda,  373,  382,  419,  420. 
Anglo-Saxon,  23,  36,  43,  47,  48, 

72,74,  75,  79,  117,  126, 165, 177, 

223,  230,  233,  240,  298,  308, 309. 

347,  373. 
Annar,  178,  237. 
Aphrodite,  53,  413. 
Apollo,  40. 
Arab,  309. 
Argos,  72,  87. 


Asa-bridge,  189,  301. 

Asaheim,  54,  187,  208. 

Asas  (a  people),  232. 

Asgard,  35,  36,  38,  40,  101.  123, 
126,  182,  185,  217,  221,  233,234, 
250,  274-277,  287,  289,  300, 302, 
303,  308,  323,  332,  337, 392,  429. 

Asia,  81. 

Ask,  82,  100, 183,  185,  187, 196. 

Atle,  377,  396. 

Athens,  59,  92. 

And,  156,  178. 

Audhumbla,  173,  174,  195. 

Augustus,  71,  89. 

Aurboda,  352. 

Aurgelmer,  173,  174,  194. 

Austre,  183. 

Avon,  78. 


Babel,  82. 175. 

Balder,  29,  39,  49.  53,  54,  57,  60, 
64,  65,  82,  84,  90,  96.  98,  106, 
109,  110,  113,  121,  123,  124, 185, 
186,  189.  193,  208,  222,  229, 
237-239,  241,  243,  244,  270.  272, 
277-297,  356,  369,  375, 388, 390, 
391,  394,  397,407,  409,  415,  425, 
426,  429,  432-434. 

Barleycorn  (John),  351. 

Bascom  (Dr.  John),  17,  114. 

Bauge,  249. 

Bele,  345,  354,  423. 

Beowulf,  36,  43,  47, 126, 131. 

Bergelmer,  173-175,  194. 

Berghild,  210. 

Berzelius,  28. 

Bestla,  174, 254. 

Beyla,  357,  399. 

Bifrost,  98,  101,181,186,  189,273 
301,418. 


(463) 


464 


INDEX. 


Bil,  182. 

Billing,  242. 

Bilskimer,  186,  298,  300. 

Bjarkemaal,  62. 

Bjornsoii  (Bjornstjerne),  95 

Black  Plague,  389. 

Black  Sea,  82. 

Bleking,  226. 

Blicher,  402. 

Blodughadda,  347. 

Boccaccio,  126. 

Bodn,  247,  249. 

Bolthorn,  174,  254. 

Bolverk,  149,  249,  252. 

Bor,  174-176,  183. 

Boston,  386. 

Bous,  244. 

Boyesen    (Hjalmar  Hjorth),   18, 

267. 
Braalund,  210. 
Brage,  90,   96-98,  123,  126,    159, 

185,  220,  240  (the  skald),  247, 

259,  270,  273-278,  369,  398,  399. 
Brand,  363. 
Breidablik,  186,  279. 
Biiraer,  430,  434. 
Brisingaraen,  331,  364,  374,  375. 
Brok,  106,  220,  221. 
Brynhild,  48,  118,  200,  377,  381, 

388,  435. 
Bugge  (Soplius),  116. 
Bull  (Ole),  96,  202. 
Bure,  174. 

Burns  (Robert),  351. 
Bygver.  350,  351. 
Byleist,  374,  375,  423. 
Bylgja,  347. 
Byrger,  182. 
Byzantium,  244. 


Cambridge  (Eng.),  72. 
Carpenter  (Dr.  S.  H.),  17,  75. 
Carthage,  240. 
Carlyle,  27,  37,  47,  54,  69,  72,205, 

266,  330. 
Caspian  Sea,  82,  232. 
Castalian  fountain,  72,  97. 
Catholic  church,  31,  43,  49,  205, 

393. 


Cato,  88. 

Charlemagne,  42. 

Chicago,  386. 

Christ,  31,  39,  41,  42,  49,  57,  82. 

Christian,  Christianity,  etc.,  25, 
27,  29,  31,  32,  33,  35,  37,  39,  40, 
42,  44,  45,  47,  49,  50,  62,  70,  79, 
94,  95,  113,  115,  128,  163,  201, 
205,  265,  308,  335,  336.  394, 435. 

Cicero,  89. 

Clarendon  press,  72. 

Cleasby  (Richard),  72. 

Colfax,  363. 

Cologne,  92. 

Constantinople,  65, 92. 

Cornwall  (Barry)  28,  273. 

Correggio,  294. 

Creation,  60,  171-187. 

Cupid,  367. 


Daain,  190,  255. 

Dan,  105. 

Danaides,  64. 

Dane,  Danish,  Denmark,  etc  ,  34, 

35,  40,  41,  42,  44,  45,  47,  60,  72, 

83,  108.  233,  240,  322,  347. 
Dante,  381. 
Danube,  69. 
Darwin,  199. 
Dasent,  35,  36,  47,  48,  50,  51,  72, 

205. 
Day,  178,179,237. 
Decameron,  126. 
Declaration  of  Independence,  92, 

129. 
Delling,  178,  179,  258. 
Delphi,  57. 

Demeter,  236,  237,  359. 
Demosthenes,  77. 
Deucalion,  56. 
Dido,  240. 
Dorothea,  403-407. 
Draupner,  106,  217,  220-223,  338, 

288,  289,  299. 
Drome,  383,  384. 
Duneyr,  190. 
Durathror,  190. 
Durin,  183,  184. 
Dutch,  43, 95. 


IJSTDEX. 


465 


Duva,  347. 

Dvalin,  105,  190,  255. 
Dsvarfs,  27,  29,  98,  99,  101,  102- 
109,  175. 


Edda  (Elder),  116-125. 

Edda  (Younger),  125-127. 

Edinburgh,  72. 

Egder,  420,  421. 

Egil,  320. 

Egil  Skallagrimson,  367,  394. 

Egyptians,  23. 

Eikthyrner,  263. 

Eir,  241. 

Elder,  347,  398. 

Eldhriniuer,  263,  264. 

Elektra,  53. 

Elivagar,  97,  172,  173,  305,  307, 
323 

Elle,  320,  322. 

Ellida,  345. 

Else,  397. 

Elves,  201. 

Elvidner,  382. 

Embla,  82,  183,  185,  187,  196. 

Enoland,  English,  etc.,  23,  34,  35, 
40,  42,  43-48,  52,  59,  65,  71,  72, 
74  75,  76,  78,  92,  113,  118,  119, 
128,  129,  165,  205,  208,  233, 301, 
308,  309,  347,  348,  360,  389. 

Ennius,  89. 

Erik  Blood-ax,  392. 

Eros,  69. 

Etrurian,  74. 

Europe,  European,  etc.,  35,  48, 
49,  51,52,59,68,71,  75,77,  92, 
99,  111.113,  120,129,164,  233, 
327,  360,  389. 

Euxinus,  232. 

Eve,  82,  390,  436. 

Evening,  180. 

Eyjafjord,  361. 

Eyvind  Skaldespiller,  392. 


Fafner,  375,  877-380,  388. 
Fairfax  (Harald).  26,  48,  49,  361, 

363. 
Falhofner,  189.      " 


Farbaute,  374,  375. 

Fengr,  219. 

Feuris-wolf,  25,  53,  271,  388,  350, 

366,  373,  375,  382-387,  402,  409, 

414,  417-419,  425-429. 
Feusal,  186,  237,  285,  290. 
Fimbul-winter,  416. 
Fjalar,  133,  247,  248,  250. 
Fjolner,  219,  351. 
Fjorgyn,  123,  230,  237,  423. 
Folkvaug,  186,  364,  367,  393. 
Forenoon,  180. 
Forsete,  185,  186,  296,  297. 
Forseteland,  297. 
Fortuna,  308. 
Fraananger  Force,  399. 
France,  French,  etc.,  34,  41,  42, 

48,65,75,92,113,155,232. 
Frank,  48,  309. 
Freke,  219,  220. 
Frey,  46,  98,  104,  106,  108,  109, 

122,  165,  185,  200,  221,  231,  237, 

239,  274,  288,  301,  341,  348-363, 

369,  414,  418,  423,  426. 
Freyja,   110.   123,  125,   165,   186, 

215,  224-226,  237-239,  274,  276, 

288,  303,  308,  328-334,  341,  348, 

352,  364-368,  374,  394. 
Friday,  237,  367,  420. 
Fridthjof,  344-340,  360,  396. 
Frigg,  53,  98,  121-123,  186,  223, 

231,  236-241,  245, 259,  274,  279- 

281,  285-290,  294,  310,  364, 422, 

425. 
Frisians,  87. 
Frye  (W.  E.),  322. 
Fulla,  110,  238,  274,  289,  295. 
Funen,  233,  240,  241. 
Funfeng,  347,  398. 


Gagnraad,  121,  227,  424,  425. 
Gaia,  236,  237. 
Galar,  247,  248. 
Ganglere,  174,  195,  436. 
Gardrofa,  239. 
Garm,  419-424. 
Gausta-fjeld,  33,  66. 
Gaut,  228. 
Gefjun,  123,  240,  241,274. 


466 


INDEX. 


Gefn,  365. 

Geirrod,  123,  228,  310-312,  337, 

374,  375. 
Gelgja,  385. 
Genesis,  55,  89,  272. 
Gerd,  122,  200,  274,  351-360,  414. 
Gere,  219,  220. 
German,   Germany,   etc.,  34,  35, 

39-49.  59.  72-75,  79,  118,  119. 

126,  19G,  203,  233,  270,  277, 298, 

309,  327,  352,  364,  403. 
Gerseme,  364. 
Giants,  29,  36,  38-40,  56,  GO,  84, 

86,  98,  102,  104,  105,  172,  173. 
Gibraltar,  69. 
Gilling,  247,  248. 
Gimle,  54.  101,  128,  185,  187,  269, 

393,  430,  434. 
Ginuugagap,  56,  66,  98,  171,  172, 

175,188. 
Gisl,  189. 
Gisle  Surson,  361. 
Gjallar-bridge,  187,  208,  288,  289. 
Gjallar-liorn,  188,  230,  272,  418, 

421. 
Gjalp,  311. 

Qjol,  172.  187,  288,  385. 
Gjuke,  380. 

Gladsheim,  98, 182,  231,  261,  262. 
Glaser.  262. 
Gleipner,  271,  384. 
Glener,  177. 
Glitner,  186,  296,  297. 
Glommen,  103. 
Glum,  361,362. 
Gnaa,  238,  239,  245. 
Gnipa-cave,  419-425. 
Gnipa-heller,  387. 
Gnipa-heath,  377. 
God  (the  supreme),  24-34,  49,  54, 

62.  66,  80,  119,  173,  272,  294, 

368.415,431.435. 
Goethe,  40,  292. 
Goin,  190. 
Golden  Age.  183. 
Gold  fax,  302-309. 
Goldtop,  189,  272,  288. 
Gondul,  267. 
Gothic.  23.  33.  42-47.  51,  61,  62, 

71,  73,  74,  78,  79,  94,  95,  111- 


114, 117, 125-129, 165,  205,  208, 

235,  273.  308.  327.  370, 371. 390, 

395.  407,  408,  415,  436. 
Graabak,  191. 
Grafvituer,  190. 
Grafvollud,  191. 
Gram,  155,  377,  378. 
Grane,159,  259,  381.  ' 

Greek,  Greece,  etc.,  23-25,  51-79, 

81,  87-89,  92,  97,  111-119,  192, 

193,  198,  237,  240,  245,  253, 254, 

273,  291.  308,  309,  339.  361,369, 

370,  413. 
Greenland,  65,  92. 
Greip,  311. 

Grid,  310,  311,  337,  433. 
Gridarvold,  310. 
Grimm  (the  brothers),  35,  39,  45, 

86,  240,  352. 
Grimner,  90.  122.  176.  178,  181, 

219,  220,  227-231,  261,  272,  279, 

296,  298,  358,  364. 
Grjottungard,  303-307. 
Groa,  305-309. 

Grundtvig,  10,  19,  60,  227,  240. 
Gudrun,  377,  381. 
Gullinburste,  106,  288,  301,  348, 

363. 
Gungner,  159,  220-224,  259.  418. 
Gunlad.   91,   132,   148,   149,  200, 

246-253. 
Gunnar  Helming,  362,  388. 
Gylfaginning,  126. 
Gylfe,  126,  233,  234,  240,  436. 
Gymer,  347,  350-359. 

H 
Haar.91,194,  195. 
Hagbard.367. 
Hakon,  267-270,  386,  394. 
Hiikonarmal,  392. 
Halfdan  Gamle,  365. 
Hall f red,  44. 
Hallinskide,  271. 
Hamarsheimt,  110,  328-336. 
Hamder,  63. 
Hamlet,  78. 
Hamskerper,  239. 
Harald  Haardraade,  92. 
,  Harald  Haarfager.     See  Fairfax. 


INDEX. 


46? 


Harbard,  132, 123. 

Hate  Hrodvitneson,  179,  181. 

Hauch,  60. 

Havamal,  120,  128-155,  163,  241, 
244,  250,  251. 

Hebe,  43G. 

Hebrews,  76,  77,  89. 

Hedrik,  363. 

Hefring,  347. 

Heiddraupner,  159. 

Heidrun,  263. 

Heimdal,  53,  84,  93,  101,  102,  171, 
185-189,  208,  280,  270-273,  288, 
331,  357,  366,  369,  375, 419-431. 

Heimskringla,  50.  82,  125,  232. 

Hekla  (Mt.),  34  100. 

Hel,  Helheim,  Helgate,  etc.,  63, 
84,  124,  128,  172,  187,  200,  205, 
208,  229,  238,  270,  280-283, 
287-290,  295,  373.  375,  380,  382, 
887-397,  409,  415,  418-432. 

Helblinde,  374,  375. 

Helge,  49,  210,  363,  396. 

Helgoland,  297. 

Hengist,  48,  233. 

Hera,  87,  245. 

Herbert,  352. 

Hercules,  65,  78,  92,  119,  436. 

Hermes,  361. 

Hermion,  57. 

Herrnod,  91,  216,  270,  287-389. 

Herodotus,  77,  88. 

Hesiod,  118. 

Himinbjorg,  186,  273. 

Himinbrjoter,  324. 

Himingloefa,  346. 

Hindoos,  23,  53,  81. 

Hjalmgunnar,  156. 

Hjaltalin,  72. 

Hjuke,  182. 

Hler,  347. 

Hlidskjalf,  185, 187,  231,  237,352, 
399. 

Hlin,  238,  423,  425. 

Hlodjn,  236,  237,  433. 

Hnikar,  218. 

Hnos,  364. 

Hoddropner,  159. 

Hoder,  29,  82,  84.  185.  270,  280, 
284,  286,  290-292,  388,  414,  429, 
432,  434. 


Hodmimer,  429,  433. 

Keener,  81.  183, 185, 196,  215,  275, 

342,375,391,429-433. 
Hofud,  272. 
Hofvarpner,  238,  239. 
Holstein,  83,  233. 
Homer,  52,  77,  88,  89,  116.  118, 

119,  267. 
Horn,  365. 
Horsa,  48,  283. 
Howitts  (William  and  Mary),  80, 

118. 
Hrsesvelger,  181,  182,  197. 
Hrap,  394. 
Hraudung,  310. 
Hreidmar.  375-377. 
Hrimfaxe,  178,  179. 
Hrimner,  244. 
Hropt,  158,  261,  429. 
Hroptatyr,  228,  258. 
Hrotte,  381. 
Hrungner,  91,  199,  200,  301-310, 

324. 
Hrym,  39,  418.  423. 
Hvergelmer.  172,   187,  188,  190, 

208.  263,  434. 
Huge,  317-321. 
Hugiu,29,  219,227. 
Hulder,  201. 
Humber,  40. 
Huuding,  218.  219. 
Hymer,  89, 101,  123, 199,  323-328, 

344,  397. 
Hyndla,  24,  54,  124,  215,  365,  366, 

481. 
Hyrroken,  287. 

I 

Ibsen,  95. 

Iceland,  25,  34-50.  65,  72,  75,  77, 

81.  92.  116.  117,  126.  129,  227, 

290,  295,  296,  347,  361-364,  367, 

373,  884. 
Ida's  Plains,  428,  429. 
Idavold,  182-187. 
Idun,  90,  98,  109,   123,  273-278, 

330,  369,  374,  375,  409. 
Ifing.  187. 
Iliad,  89,  116,  264. 
India,  81,116. 


4G8 


INDEX, 


lugeborg,  344,  366. 

lugemuud,  25,  361,  363. 

luguu,  351. 

lugve,  267. 

lustein,  365. 

lo,  87. 

Iris,  53,  273. 

Iron  post,  403-407. 

Italy,  15,  75,  92. 

Ivald,  220,  227',  348. 

Ixion,  63. 


Jack  the  Giant-killer,  228. 

Jafnhaar,  91,  196. 

Jalk,  228. 

Japliet,  83. 

Jarusasa, 300-308. 

Jarnved,  179,  180. 

Jehovah.     See  God. 

Jew,  33,  58. 

Jochiimson,  167. 

Jonsson  (Arugrim),  26. 

Jord,  178,  286,  237. 

Jormungander,  100,  101,382,387, 
422. 

Jotuuheim,  38,  91.  101,  110,  177, 
183, 184,  187,  196-198, 208,209, 
225,  226,  229,  240,  248,  276,  287, 
302,  305,  313,  322,  229-332, 334, 
337,  352,  354,  382,  421. 

Judas,  82. 

Judea,  57. 

Jul,  357,  363. 

Jupiter,  98,  300. 

Jutland,  83,  233,  241. 

K 

Kadroma,  199. 

Keightley  (Thomas),  201-205. 

Kerlaung,  189,  301. 

Ketil,  362. 

Keyser  (Prof.  R.),  47, 86, 126, 128, 

130,  163,  164,  390. 
Kjotve,  363. 
Klio,  253. 
Kolga,  347. 
Korrat,  189,  301. 
Kvaser,  91, 247,  248, 252, 253, 399. 


Ladrones  Islands,  38. 

Laing  (Samuel),  72,  129. 

Laocoon,  327. 

Latin,  Rome,  Roman,  etc.,  23,  31, 
42-44,  49,  68,  71-79,  83,  84,  88- 
99,  113,117,  119,  128,165,  232, 
235,  254,  291,  308,  309,327,328, 
361. 

Laufey,  374,  375. 

Lax-aa-dal,367. 

Leding,  383. 

Lerad,  263. 

Lif,  429,  433. 

Lifthraser,429,433. 

Lightfoot,  189. 

Lincoln,  294. 

Lit,  288. 

Ljosalfaheim,  187. 

Lodbrok  (Regner),  267. 

Loder,  81,  183,  185,  196,  215,  372, 
373,  391,  432. 

Lodfafner,  150-154. 

Lofn,  238,  239,  368. 

Loge,  317,  321. 

Logrinn,  240. 

Loire,  92. 

Loke,  28,  29,  38,  65,  81-84,  98, 
102-113, 123, 124, 185, 196,  220- 
226,  237,  260, 275-277,  281,  285, 
286,  290,  292,  295,  301,  310-312. 
317,  321,  322,  328-336,  338,  344, 
349, 350,  351, 371-409, 414, 418- 
436. 

London,  72. 

Lona-fellow  (H.  W.),  96,  97,  99, 
299. 
Loptr,  105,  372,  373. 

Lord's  Supper,  31. 

Luther,  73,  309,  327,  328. 

Lybia,  69. 

Lynge,  218. 

Lyngve,  384. 

M 

Maane,  177,  182. 
Maane  (Thorkel),  25,  26. 
Maanegarm,  180,  417,  419,  420. 
Macbeth,  296,  381. 
Magna  Charta,  92,  129. 


IXDEX. 


469 


Magne,  29,  300,  301,  305,  308,  309, 

429,  432,  433. 
Magnusson  (E.),  72,  382. 
Maguussen  (Fiun),  352. 
Mallet,  232. 
Mannaheim,  187. 
Mannigfual,  87. 
Mardal,  365. 
Mars,  73,  89,  98. 
Marsh  (George  P.),  76. 
Mars'  Hill,  25. 
Maurer  (Koiirad),  72. 
Mediterranean  Sea,  76,  847. 
Megingjarder.  29,  299  301,  310. 
Meile,  306. 
Meinert  (H.),  403. 
Mercurius,  360. 
Mermaid,  204. 
Merman,  204. 
Midgard,  82,  98,  99,  175-179, 183, 

187,  197,  224,  300,  419,  423. 
Midgard -serpent,  53, 96. 123,  322- 

328,  375,  382,  387,  409,  417-419, 

426,  428,  429. 
Midnight,  180. 
Millers,  28. 
Milton,  69,  293. 
Mimer,  69,  96,  98.  103,  1-59,  188, 

189,  208,  209,  229,  230,  260,  344, 

418,  421,  433. 
Minerva,  307. 
Mithridates,  83,  232. 
Mjolner,  28,  79,  101-103, 110,  225, 

288,  299,  301,  305,  308, 310,312, 

315,  326,  329,  374,  429, 433. 
Mnemosvne,  53. 
Mode,  300,  301,  429,  432,  433. 
Modgud,  289. 
Modsogner,  183,  184. 
Mubius,  72. 
MiBso-Gothic,  75,  206. 
Moin,  190. 

Mokkerkalfe,  91.  304-309. 
Montesquieu,  129. 
Morninff,  180. 
Morris  (William),  72,  383. 
Moses,  Mosaic,  33,  70,  79, 89, 198, 

394. 
Miiller  (Max),  47.  74. 
Munch  (P.  A.)  47. 


Mundilfare,  177,  178. 
Munin,  29,  53,  219,  227. 
Muspel,  181,  350,  354,  418,  422, 

425. 
Muspelheim,  54,  56,  98,  172,  175, 

176, 187,  193,  425,  427. 

N 

Naastrand,  62,  99,  100,  128,  393, 

430,  434. 
Nagl  far,  178,417,418,423. 
Nal,  374,  375. 
fcna.  84,  90,  98,  106,  109,  113, 

22^238,  239,  374, 387,  289,  294, 

296,  369,  394. 
Nare,  or  Narfe,  382,  400. 
Necks,  203. 
Nep,  288,  294. 
Nere,  211. 
Newtons,  28. 

Nida-mountains,430, 431,434,435. 
Nidhug,  187,  188.  190,  208,  431- 

435. 
Niebelangen-Lied,  43,47, 118, 126. 
Nifiheim,  56.  98,   124,   172,  187, 

188,  194,  208,  226,  364,  280, 282, 

382,  387,  416. 
Nifihel,  389. 
Night,  177-179. 
Niobe,  57. 
Nisses,  203. 
Nix,  105. 
Njal,  394. 
Njord,   123,   185,   186,  200,    231, 

239,  274,  277,  333,  841-364,  433. 
Noah,  55,  82,  83. 
Noatun.  186,  333,  341-843. 
Noon,  180. 
Nordre,  183. 
Normandy,  48,  92. 
Norns,  62,  109,  205. 
North  American  Review,  265. 
North  Sea,  34,  87. 
Norve,  177, 179. 
Nottingham,  39. 
Numa  Pompilius,  74, 


Odense,  233. 
Oder,  326,  364-868. 


470 


INDEX. 


Odin,  24,  26,  29,  35,  40,  49,  53-56, 

74.  81-84,  87, 90, 91, 96, 98, 101, 
103,  106,  108-113,  116,  120-130, 
144,  147,  149, 155-159,  163,  165, 
171,  174,  175,  182-189,  193-200, 
206,  209,  215-300,  302.  303,  308, 
309,  326,  332,  335-339,  347-351. 
358,  362-369,  372-370,  382-395, 
398^02,  408,  409,  414,  418-434. 

Odroerer,  149,  247-254. 

Oehlenschteger,  95,  108,  322. 

Oersted,  28. 

Ofner,  191,228. 

Okeanos,  53,  347. 

Okolner,  430,  434. 

Olaf  Geirstada-alf,  389. 

Olaf  in  Lax-aa-dal,  367. 

Olaf  the  Saint,  335,  336. 

Ole.  382. 

Oiler,  244. 

Olympos,  53,  54. 

Orrnt,  189,  301. 

Orvaudel,  305-307. 

Orvar-Odd,  367. 

Ottar,  365,  366. 

Otte  (E.  C),  165. 

Oxford,  72. 


Psestum,  118. 

Paganism,  42,  49. 

Palestine,  65. 

Pan,  339. 

Paris,  92. 

Parnassos,  56,  72. 

Paul  (the  apostle),  25,  394. 

Pegasos.  227,  308. 

Penates,  361. 

Pennock  (Barclay),  390. 

Persephone,  359. 

Persia,  81,  396. 

Peter  394 

Petersen   (N.   M.),  47,   116,  117, 

291,402,435. 
Plato,  77. 
Plautus,  89. 
Pluto,  81. 
Pompey,  83.  232. 
Pontus,  83,  232,  347. 


Proserpina,  360. 
Psyche,  69. 
Pyrrha,  56. 
Pythia,  57. 


Quirinus,  74. 


Q 


R 


Rafnagud,  219. 

Rafnkel,  363. 

Ragnarok,  25,  60,  61,  66,  84,  96. 
100,  102,  120, 123,  230,  272, 273, 
285,  338,  339,  351,  354,  366,386, 
387,  392-395.  401,  409,  413^27 
431. 

Ran,  98,  103,  110,  245,  343-348, 
376,  395. 

Rask  (Rasmus),  72,  82,  83. 

Ratatosk,  190. 

Rate,  148,  249-251. 

Reformation,  129. 

Regeneration,  428-436. 

Regin,  375-379. 

Reinbert,  403-407. 

Rhine,  69,  92. 

Ridel,  379,  380. 

Rig,  124,  273. 

Rind,  236-246,  280,  284,  433. 

Ring  (King),  346. 

Ringhorn,  287,  295. 

Rjukan  Force,  66. 

Rogner,  159,  259. 

Rolf  Ganger,  48. 

Rolleif,  25. 

Romance,  58,  70,  75. 

Rome,  Roman.     See  Latin. 

Romulus,  73,  89. 

Roskva,  300,  312,  313,  326. 

Rosterus,  243. 

Rosthiof,  243,  344. 

Rouen  48. 

Rudbek,  83. 

Rune,  42,  50. 

Runeburg,  293. 

Rune  Song,  254-259. 

Runic  Chapter,  155,  273. 

Russia,  41,92. 

Ruthenians,  243. 


INDEX. 


471 


Sabines,  73,  74. 

Saga  (Goddess),  186,  253.  369. 

Sagas  (Histories),  36,  38,  43,  44, 

49,  72,  77,  88,  96,  126,  127,  218- 

223,  227,  235,  295,  360,  361. 
Saeger,  182. 

Sfehrimuer,  69,  263,  264. 
Saemiug,  234 
Sfemund,  37,  38,  50,  116. 
Sars  (J.  E.),  47. 
Saturnus,  165. 
Saxo  Grammaticus,  82,  232,  243, 

244. 
Saxon,  40,  42,  48,  233,  240. 
Scandinavian,    Scandinavia,    34, 

35,  40-47,  59,  72,  75,  89,  95,  96, 

129,201,233. 
Scotland,  39,  40,  75,  203. 
Scheldt,  92. 
Scythia,  232. 
Seabold,  361. 
Seine,  48,  92. 
Seneca,  78. 
Sesrumner,  186,  364. 
Seva-fjeld,  396. 
Shakespeare,  40,  52,  78,  79,  119, 

222,  296,  366,  377,  381. 
Sibylline,  89. 
Sicily,  48. 
Sif,  28,  29,  102,  103,  107-lOi),  220, 

221,  300,  301,  303,  308,  333,  374, 

375,  399. 
Sigdrifa,  128,  129,  155-163,  230. 
Sigfrid,  118. 

Sigmund,  156,  216,  218,  392. 
Sigrun,  396. 
Sigtuna,  234,  235. 
Sigurd,  48, 130, 155-163,  318,  219, 

377-381.  388. 
Sigyn,  111,  274,  375, 382, 401,  436. 
Si'lfrintop,  189. 
Simul,  182. 
Sindre,  106,  107,  220,  221,  (Hall, 

430,  434.) 
Siner,  189. 
Sisyphos,  64. 
Siva,  81. 

Sjofn,  238,  239,  368. 
Skaaue,  226. 


Skade,  200, 377, 341-343,  353,  400, 

401. 
Skaldskaparniiil,  126. 
Skeidbrimer,  189. 
Skidbladner,  34,  122,  220,  348. 
Skilfing,  228. 
Skinfaxe,  178,  179. 
Skirner,    122,  331,  352-360,  384, 

419. 
Skjalf,  365. 
Skjold,  83,  233,  365. 
Skogul,  267,  268. 
Skol,  179,  181. 
Skrymer,  312-323,  371. 
Skuld,   98,    110,    165,    189,    210, 

265. 
Sleipner,  159,  189.  317,  224-227. 

359,  370,  280,  282,  287,  302,  308, 

374,  408. 
Slid.  387. 

Slidrugtanne,  288,  348. 
Snorre  Sturleson,  38,  50,  83,  116, 

135,  332. 
Snotra,  238. 
Socrates,  88.  368. 
Sokmimer,  200. 
Sokvabek,  186,  253. 
Sol,  177. 

Solomon,  89,  130. 
Solon,  88. 
Son,  347,  349. 
Spanish,  38,  65,  75,  93, 
Sparta,  59. 
Spirit  of  Laws,  139. 
Staerkodder,  199. 
Stockholm,  334. 
Stephens  (George).  33. 
Stephens  (St.),  403-407. 
Stromkarl,  96. 
Sudre,  183. 
Sulun,  82. 

Surt,  172,  338,  351,  418-433. 
Suttung.  148,  149,  248-252,  358. 
Svadiltare.  224-326. 
Svafner,  191,228,  381. 
Svalin,  177,  178. 
Svartalf-heim,  187,  376,  384. 
Svasud,  180,  182. 
I  Svithjod,  82. 
I  Svolner,  306. 


472 


INDEX. 


Swedes,  34, 35, 41-47, 83, 126,  226, 

233,  234,  240,  241,  244,  362. 
Syn,  238,  239. 
Syr,  365. 


Tanais,  233. 

Tanngnjost,  299. 

Tanugrisner,  299,  301. 

Tantalos,  63. 

Tartaros,  60,  63. 

Taylor,  Bayard,  360. 

Tegner,  95^  344,  346,  360. 

Teutonic,  34-36,  41-52,  70-78,  90, 
296,  309,  327,  328. 

Thames,  48. 

Thaumas,  53. 

Theodolf,  St.,  265. 

Thessaliaii,  57. 

Thibet,  199. 

Thialfe,  91,300-326. 

Thjasse,  275-277,  342,  352,  374. 

Thjodolf  of  Hvin,  306,  393. 

Thjodroerer,  258. 

Thok,  65,  290,  295,  389,  397,  407. 

Thor,  26-29,  39,  40,  46,  49,  52,  53, 
74,  79,  82,  84,  87,  91,  93,  96,  98- 
124, 165.  185-189,  220-226,  237, 
267,  270,  287, 288,  298-339,  358, 
362,  365.  369.  371, 374,  387,  395- 
400,  406,  418,  426,  429,  482,  433. 

Thorgerd,  367. 

Thorgrim,  301. 

Thorkel,  361,  362. 

Thorp,  Benjamin,  46,  72 

Thorstein,  396. 

Thorwald  Krok,  362. 

Thorwaldsen,  Albert,  436. 

Thride,  91,  196. 

Throndhjem,  360-363. 

Thrudgelmer,  173,  194. 

Thrudheim,  186. 

Thrudvang,  186,  298,  300,  305, 
322,  335. 

Thrung,  365. 

Thrym,  39,  111,  123, 124,  200,  3Q8- 
336,  365. 

Thrymheim,  342,  343. 

Thund  (Odin),  228,  255. 

Thvite,  386. 


Tiberias,  93, 

Tityos,  63. 

Trent,  39. 

Trier,  265. 

Trinity,  81,  91. 

Trolls,  202. 

Troy,  118. 

Tryggvesson,  Olaf,  44,  360,  363. 

Tuesday,  270. 

Tver-aa,  301,  362. 

Twilight  of  the  gods.     See  Rag- 

narok. 
Tyndall,  28. 
Typhon,  413. 
Tyr,  1.57,  165,  185,  267,  270,  271, 

323,  326,  337,  349,  350,  383,  385, 

414,  419. 

U 

Uller,  185,  186,  281,  300-306. 

Umias,  206. 

United  States,  65. 

Upsala,  362. 

Urauos,  236. 

Urd,  Urdar-fount,  etc.,  95,  98, 110, 

149,  165,  109,  189,  190,  191,  208, 

209,  301. 
Utgard,  196,  315,  316. 
Utgard-Loke,  316-325,  371. 

V 

Vafthrudner,    120,  121,  173-181, 

227,  390,  291,  424,  425. 
Vafud,  228. 
Vak,  244. 
Vaker,  228. 
Valaskjalf,  231. 
Vale,  185.  237,  245,  291,  338-340, 

383,  400,  409,  429-433. 
Valfather.     See  Odin. 
Valhal,  00,  98.  108-112,122,138, 

185,  315,  310,  334,  330,  231,  337, 

261-269,  286,  290,  302-308,  365, 

389-394,  415-420. 
Valkyries,  69,  110,  112,  265-269. 
Valtara,  280,  283. 
Vanaheim,  187,  341. 
Vandal,  79,  308. 
Vanlande,  King,  393. 
Vans,  341-370." 


INDEX. 


473 


Var,  238,  239,  334,  368. 

Vasud,  180. 

Vatnadal,  3G1. 

Ve,  56,  81,  91,  174,  175, 195,  215. 

Vecha,  243,  244. 

Vedfolner,  190. 

Vedic,  52,  116. 

Vegtam,  124,  227,  229,  241,  280- 

285 
Veuus,  237,  808,  367. 
Veor,  323. 

Verdande.  98,  110,  165,  189,209. 
Vestre,  183. 
Vidar,  185,310,333-340,398,419- 

433. 
Vienna,  403-407. 
Vidfin,  183. 
Viga-glum,  361,302. 
Vigfusson,  Gudbraud,  72. 
Vigrid,  418,  425. 
Vile,  56,  81,  84,  91,  174  175, 195, 

215,  259. 
Vimer,  311. 
Viudlone,  180. 
Vindsval,  180,  181. 
Vinland.  52,  65. 
Vingolf,  183,  185,  216,  393. 
Volsung  and  Volsung  Saga,  217, 

218,  322. 
Voluud,  124. 


Voluspa,  120,  171,  176,  180-183, 
209,  229,  230,  273,  290,  424,  431. 
Von,  386. 
Vonargander,  386. 
Voring  Force,  66. 

W 

Wagner,  199. 
Welhaven,  95. 
Wergelaud,  95. 
Wiener-wald,  403-407. 
Wind-home,  439,  432. 
Wisconsin,  245. 

Y 

Ydaler,  186,  302. 

Ygdrasil,  74, 82, 86,  87, 94, 98, 130, 

123,  188-191,  205-209,  217,  229, 

254,  260,  299,  301, 370, 387, 418- 

421 
Ygg,  206,  328,  282. 
Ymer,  40,  56,  66,  82,  96,  132,  125, 

171-176, 183,  194^196,  215,  237, 

414.  426. 
YngliDgs,  233. 
Yngve,'233. 

Z 

Zealand,  240,  241. 

Zendavista,  435. 

Zeus,  53-56,  236,  245,  307,  413. 


Date  Due 


D  B2 


•v 


if^** 


